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THE WAR
ILLUSTRATED
ALBUMDELUXE
P* •'.' bi S/,,, ,,.(,,. ,./,,.
H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES (A War-Time Portrait
THE WAR
ILLUSTRATED
ALBUMDELUXE
The Story of the Great
European War told by
Camera, Pen and Pencil
J. A. HAMMERTON
CHAPTERS BY
LORD NORTHCLIFFE, LADY JELLICOE
COMMANDER BELLAIRS, R.N., MAJOR REDWAY
H. W. NEVINSON, ARTHUR D. INNES, M.A.
1,190 ILLUSTRATIONS
VOLUME VI.
THE SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN OF 1916
PUBLISHED BY
THE AMALGAMATED PRESS, LIMITED
LONDON, 1916
X
S075K3
V,
ilote to Foltime
X this volume of our pictorial survey of the war, for
the first time we can discern unmistakable evidence
of the great and overwhelming forces gathering
for the ultimate victory of the allied cause. Volume V.
closed with the initial struggle for the possession of
Verdun still undecided, and, indeed, confusing in its
indecision. But as the spring and summer campaigns
of 1916 slowly and remorselessly develop we may
perceive the steady setting of the German star — Verdun,
against whose bastions the barbarian waves had vainly
beaten and spent, month after month, still holding firm.
It cannot be said with absolute certitude that even now
the extraordinary series of violent attacks and counter-
attacks which characterised the struggle for Verdun had
been definitely and irrevocably determined. Yet victory
lay with the glorious French army that had so long
withstood the German pressure and hurled back the waves
of invaders, in the mere fact that for so many months it
had prevented the enemy from achieving his most
cherished objective. For even had the Germans gained
possession of Verdun before the close of the summer of
1916, still were they defeated, as the brilliant defence
of that fortified region by the French had contributed
vastly to immobilise the Germans on the northern sector
of their Russian front, and to prevent their lending timely
assistance to Austria when the Russian and Italian
pressure on her two frontiers became most acute.
in importance, and probably eventually
most important of all the movements in the
summer of 1916, was the opening of the British
offensive on July 1st. The months preceding had been
merely a continuation of the seemingly interminable
trench warfare ; but the British line was gradually
extended to Albert, thus enabling the French to con-
centrate stronger forces for the defence of Verdun, and
stealthily but steadily enormous reserves of men and
munitions were piled up behind the British lines, ready for
the great blow which General Haig was fortunately able to
launch against the enemy at the beginning of July, when the
battles of the Somme began, with highest promise of suc-
cess to our gallant forces engaged. The story of these
battles is as rich in epic achievement as the memorable
fighting retreat from Mons or the great battle of the Marne.
picturesque and thrilling of the many
individual episodes that go to the making of
the story of the Great War during the spring
and summer of 1916, was the brilliant naval battle off
the coast of Jutland, when, despite severe losses both
in ships and men, British battle squadrons gave a
splendid account of themselves against the naval niight
of Germany, and the " High Seas Fleet " of the enemy
was speedily driven to the shelter of its mine- fields
and its ports on the appearance of Admiral Jellicoe's
main fleet. The losses inflicted on the Germans were
actually no less severe, and relatively far greater
than those which favourable conditions of weather and
visibility had enabled the Germans to inflict upon our
squadrons.' The immediate result of this great sea
affair, claimed by the Germans as a victory, was to
reduce German naval strength to such a point that an
anti-Russian offensive with naval co-operation from the
Baltic could not then be effected, and Hindenburg,
unsupported from the sea, could not press forward his
campaign in the Riga direction ; whereas Russia, free
from the immediate menace of such a German offensive,
was able to launch her magnificent attack on the
Hungarian frontier, and win a series of victories, sensational
in their suddenness and in the losses of men and material
which they imposed upon Austro-Hungarian armies.
ALY, which from May I4th had been struggling
somewhat unequally against the great Austrian
offensive in the south-east and south of the
Trentino, was not only able, as a result of Russia's brilliant
achievements along the Hungarian frontier, to regain
the initiative over the Austrians and speedily to throw
them back into their own territory, reconquering, by
the end of July, all the ground lost in other directions
by the Austrian onrush, but to begin a new attack
on the Isonzo, culminating in the capture of
Gorizia on August gth. Thus the guns of Admiral
Beatty's battle-cruisers, which sent the Kaiser's " High
Seas Fleet " hastening to its protective ports, re-echoed
far away on the Hungarian and Italian frontiers, and
that extraordinary battle of the high seas, which at
first seemed fraught with ill-tidings to England, had
proved by its results an unmistakable victory.
ENERALLY speaking, every force at the com-
mand of the Allies during the period illustrated
in this volume seems to be gathering with
increased momentum in the decisive direction of victory.
There were other incidents which at the moment
seemed disastrous enough — such as the surrender of
Townshcnd at Kut, after the ineffectual efforts to
relieve him — but, seen at a little distance of time,
recede in importance and take their places among the
minor matters of the war. The lamented death of
Lord Kitchener on June 5th is one of the shadows
falling across this period of high promise and brilliant
achievement ; but the British nation found consolation
in thinking that, sad though it was that the great soldier
who had initiated our military preparations for this
frightful struggle, and had raised millions of men for the
army of freedom, was not spared to see the rich fulfil-
ment of his plans, yet he had the satisfaction of knowing
that the crowning achievement of his life had been
accomplished ere that pitiful moment when he sank
with the ill-fated Hampshire in the northern sea.
ESE are but a few of the main features in the
strange medley of events with which the
cameras of war-correspondents in almost every
clime have filled the pages of this present volume ; but
they are sufficient in their world-wide interest and
enduring historical importance to justify the opinion
that no volume of THE WAR ALBUM is more appealing
in the scope, variety, and detail of its contents than that
to which these lines are introductory. J. A. H.
Principal Literary Contents
The Moving Drama of the Great War : VI. — The
Spiing and Summer Campaign of 1916. By Arthur
D. Innes, M.A 1809
The Glorious First of July. By Edward Wright . .1838
A Night Affair on the Western Front. By H. F.
Prevost Balterfby 1 848
General Sir Charles C. Monro, K.C.B. . . . 1856
The Struggle for Verdun. By Lord NortJicliffe , . 1 859
General Pctain 1890
The French Swoop on Pironne. By Edward Wright . 1 892
General Foch, G.C.B 1920
My Ride with the Caucasian Cavalry. By H. C.
Seppings Wright 1939
Between Two Fires at Mamomitza. By Basil Clarke . 1955
The Legend of General Cantore. By R. Mackenzie . 1961
Geneial Sir Bryan T. Mahon, C.B., K.C.V.O . . 1994
PAGE
When I Was Wounded on Chocolate Hill. By H. W.
Nevinson ......•• 1997
The Campaign in Mesopotamia to the Capture of Amara 2001
The Advance on Bagdad and Memorable Siege of Kut 2012
How German Military Plans Failed. By Major George
W. Redway . ." 2027
The British Naval Victory off Jutland. By Edward
Wright 2047
The Jutland Battle by Night. By Edward Wright . 2054
Blunders of German Naval Policy. By Commander
Carlyon Bellairs, R.N., M.P 2059
Rebuilding Ruined Lives. By Lady Jellicoe . .2110
The Rt. Hon. Viscount Grey, K.G. . . . 2122
Romance of Rail- Power in the War. By Edwin A. Pratt 2124
The Rt. Hon. William Morris Hughes, P.C. . . 2144
Earl Kitchener : The Last Post. By Arthur Machen . 2146
List of Maps
Map Showing the Great Biitish Advance of July, 1916 1826
The Battle-Fronts in the Opening Stages of the Fight for Verdun 1858
Large Scale Map of First Phase of the Struggle for Verdun 1862
The Last German Colony, East Africa 1922
Area of the Russian Victories on the Strypa .............. 1938
Map of the Trentino Front 1960
The Hour of Fate on the Tigris 1996
The Principal Railways of Europe and Asia Minor 2124
Railway Systems of the Allies and Germany 2126
Special Full-Colour Plates
H.R.H. The Prince of Wales (A War- Time Portrait) Frontispiece
Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty, K.C.B., D.S.O. Facing page 1840
Monochrome Colour Plates
Calm at Eventide : Commander-in -Chief Surveying the Field of Victory ...... Facing page 1809
Wayside Calvary in France .................. 1825
British Heavy Howitzer in Action on the Western Front „ 1857
Brothers in Arms : A " Poilu " Greets British Soldiers .........,,„ 1905
Magnificent Charge of Indian Troops Against the German Trenches ........... 1937
Fearless Cossacks Sabre and Put to Flight Hungarian Hussars ........,,., 1952
David Against Goliath : British Torpedo-Boat Destioyer Makes an End of German Battleship 2049
Missed ! tJ Boat's Torpedo Passes Beyond the Stern of British War Vessel „ 2065
Lieutenant A. de Bathe Brandon Attacking a Zeppelin Raider .... . . ..,.., 2072
Glorious Charge of the Fusiliers at St. Eloi , 2081
Dashing Dragoon Guards Rout German Infantry in the Great Advance , 2096
"Heave-to!" A British Patrol-boat Stopping a Suspect Vessel « 2128
180C
TABLE OF CONTENTS-CMtimMd
The Spring and Summer Campaign, 1916
large Calibre Shells on the Way to Front at Verdun . . I'KIO
Inexhaustible Supply of Munitions for the Battle Zone . . 1812
British Cross-Channel Pilots Awaiting Orders . . . 1814
The Prussian Guard at Southampton 1823
With the Flag in France and Flanders
The Jubilant Sentry 1825
The Great Push I France Salutes the Ally . . . '. 1827
Guns that Pounded German Trenches to Powder . . . 1828
After Victory: German Soldiers in Captivity . . If 29
The Billet in the House of God 1830
Splendid British Charge at La Boisselle .... 1831
To the Fighting Line, via Marseilles 1832
Royal Welsh Fusiliers Along the Somme .... 1834
Great Leaders in History's Greatest Crisis .... 1835
Before and After the Moment of tiie Advance ' . . . 1836
Pardon, Kamcrad ! An Incident at Montauban . . . 1837
Wiltshires and East Yorks in the Forward Move . . . 1839
Prisoners from Contalmaison and Boisselle ... 1841
Calling the RoU After the Dawn of Victory .... 1842
Recurrence of Red Cross Treachery at Thiepval . . . 1843
Thoughts of Home Before the Critical Effort .... 1844
The Deathless Story of Gommecourt Wood .... 1845
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! ! Hurrah ! ! ! 1846
The " Fighting Fifth " Scores Again at St. Elol . . . 1847
Allied Action with Bayonet, Bomb, and Mine' . . . 1849
Moments of Suspense with British Sniper Party . . . 1851
Charge of Deccan Horse at Foureaux Ridge .... 1852
London Scottish Advance to the Piper's Tune . . . 1853
Pluck and Peril with the Gallant Seaforths .... 1851
PERSONALIA OF THE GREAT WAR— GENERAL SIR.
CHARLES C. MONRO, K.C.B., G.C.M.O. . . . 1855
The Struggle for Verdun
Poignant Pictures from the Furnace of Verdun . . . 1861
Where the Gennans were Shattered at Donaumont , . 1865
Xc ir Verdun Where War Was Fierce and Furious . . . 1867
Forest of Fire in the Slope of Dead Man's Hill . . . 1869
German Shrapnel Storm in the Valley of the Meuse . , . 1870
En Avant! For the Glory of France at Douaumont . . 1871
Personalities and Pawns in the Verdun Contest . . . 1872
Actualities from the Environs of Verdun .... 1873
Deserts of Debris Along the Wooded Mcuse .... 1874
Ferocious Fighting for the Great French Fortress . . . 1875
With our Wonderful Ally near Louvemont and Vaux . . 1876
Lovely Settings for the Grim Drama of Verdun . . . 1877
The End of the Line in the Sodden Pretre Wood . . . 1878
A June Morning in the Caillette Wood 1879
After a Futile German Onslaught. Somewhere on the French
Line Before Verdun 1880-81
Shambles ! A Warm Corner of the Verdun Sector . . 1882
The Shell-Ploughed Ridge of Douaumont .... 1883
Over the Meuse and in the Heart of Verdun .... 1884
Frenzied Fighting Hand to Hand for Fort Vaux . . . 1885
Debris and Derelicts of the Verdun Storm .... 1886
Pi -twin's Heroes to and from the Tiattlc-Front . . . 1887
The Human Emplacement : For the Glory of France . . 1888
PERSONALIA OF THE GREAT WAR— GENERAL PETAIN 1889
With the Glorious Armies of France
With General Foch Advancing on the Somme . . . 1893
In France by Rivulet and Silver Birch 1895
Dawn in tlin French Line 1896
Cave- Men an<l Cavalry In the French Lines . 1897
Tlir- Mansion in Ruins and the Cottage Intact . . . 1898
A Shattered Sanctuary in Mcurtlie and Moselle . , . 1899
French Ilii-iirs in the Trenches as Infantrymen . . . 1900
Warm Corner Amid 1'incs of the Snowy Vosges . . . 1901
French Troops Advancing to a Counter- Attack . . . 1902
Young Ears tint Heard the Cacophony of War . . . 1903
Bayonets (ililter Along the Yser Canal 1904
Against the Foe Through Wire nnd Wattles .... 1905
-IICS and Incidents Along the French Front 1906
The Vlvandierc : A Romantic Figure Recalled 1907
Moroccan Spahis to Aid Europe's Deliverance 1908
To the War by Wire in the Snowy Vosgcs .
To the Place of Peace
The Daily Jaunt to "No Man's Land" and Back .
French Dogs of War Decorated for Field Service .
Poison Masks for School Children of Rheims .
French Colonials Getting into Fighting Fettle
Russia's Glorious RaUy to her Wonderful Ally
After the Attack
Music and Menu Amid the Debris of Battle . . . .
A Weapon of the Dark Ages .....
PERSONALIA OF THE GREAT WAR— GENERAL FOCH
PAGE
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
The Conquest of German East Africa
General Smuts in his Armoured Car
British Drive into German East Africa .
War Traffic on the Trek in East Africa .
Forward to Victory Through the Sombre Bush
With Our Special Photographer in East Africa
In the Van of General Smuts' Great Advance
Native Regiments in British East Africa
On the March to Kilimanjaro
Stalwart Burghers Move on German East Africa
The Martial Parade in Sunny Durban
The Campaign Against the Kaiser's Last Colony
Artillery in Action on the East African Front .
Fighting the King of Beasts in African Jungle
The Great Push Against German East Africa .
In the Wake of General Smuts' Offensive
With Russia Resurgent
Russia Strikes on the Eastern Front ....
Caucasian Cavalry Advance in the Carpathians
Imperial Russia Keeps Guard over Trelizond
First Scenes from Erzerum .....
Exclusive Photographs of Erzerum, the Captured ' Jletz of A
Minor ' ......
Erzerum, the Anvil for the Grand Duke's Hammer-Stroki
Cossacks Search for Wounded with Electric Torch .
Slav and Teuton in Close Conflict ....
Slavs Push on to Cities of Immortal Romance
Four Phases of the Victorious Russian Army .
Russian Grand Dukes at Teheran and in Japan
Russian Royalties Work and Rest Behind the Lines
War and the Spiritual Force of Slavdom
Thrilling Charge of the Cossacks
By River and Road near the Russo-German Front .
The Tsar of Russia on the Northern Front .
.sla
1921
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1941
1942
1943
1944-5
. 1946
. 1947
. 1948
. 1949
. 1950
. 1951
. 1952
. 1953
. 1954
. 1957
. 1958
Scenes from Italy's Alpine War
Powerful Italian Gun on High Alpine Peak .... 1959
A " War Illustrated " Contributor on Italy's Front . . 1963
The Tube of Death : Vivid Italian Battle Scenes . . . 1964
Faulty Shells and Spies on the Isonzo Front .... 1965
Four Pluses of the Italo-Austrian Conflict .... 1966
Italian Bcrsaglieri and Alpini in Action .... 1967
Diogenes Up-to-Date 1968
Facing the Austrian Onslaught in the Trentino . . . 1969
Stirring Scenes from the Italian Front 1970
The Allies in the Balkans
British Heavy Gun Position at Salonika .... 1971
British Troops at Work in the Balkans .... 1972
From Field to Field of Britain's Endeavour .... 1973
Great Naval Guns Speak in the Balkans .... 1974
East Joins West to Uphold Freedom's Cause 1975
Hunting the Spy in Levantine Backwaters .... 1976
Aviation, Communication and Adjniration .... 1977
On Guard Against Treachery near Salonika .... 1978
The Rumble of War Through Macedonian Valleys . . . 1979
Allied and Enemy Ordnance at Salonika .... 1980
Four Splendid Hussars Fight Two Hundred Huns . . . 1981
Enter the Russians in the Balkan Area 1982
Military Movements Under Britannia's Shield 1983
Preparations for the Day on the Balkan Front 1984
Round About the Allied Base at Salonika . 1985
1807
TABLE OF CONTENTS-conftnued
Serbs and Indians Ready to take the Balkan Field .
Impromptu Overtures to the Neutral Greeks .
Gallant Serbia Again Takes the Balkan Field
Emergency Treatment of Wounded at Salonika .
With the Itritish Start on the Balkan Front .
Saving a Comrade from the Uhlan's Lance .
Lord French's Sister Decorated at Salonika .
PEKSONALIA OF THE GREAT WAR— GENERAL
BRYAN T. MAHON, C.B., K.C.V.O.
In Mesopotamia and Egypt
SIR
T\OR
l'J86
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
Golden Deeds of Heroism
Decorated for Valour: More of Britain's Bravest .
Mouth-Organ Melody Under Heavy Fire
Decorated for Valour: More of Britain's Brave Sons
Giant Anzac Heaves German Over Parapet .
Decorated for Valour : More of Britain's Brave Sons
Golden Laurels for Gallant Londoners .
Decorated for Valour: More of Britain's Brave Sons
Brave Munsters Reply to German Insults
Decorated for Valour : More of Britain's Brave Sons
PAGE
2076
2077
2078
2079
2080
2081
2082
2083
2084
Under Way for Kut-el-Amara
on the Way to Kut : Scenes in the Tigris Valley .
Following the Relief Column Towards Kut .
British Charge Through the Tigris Swamp .
Wayi-ide ('aha and Conflict Towards Kut .
The Arah Patrol on the Tigris Flood
Strenuous Effort in the Valley of the Tigris .
Beasts of Burden in Asian and African Areas
Along the River Way to Kut
Slav and Briton Meet in Mesopotamia ...
The Flame of War in the Palm Groves of Eden
Wounded Heroes from Kut Recoup at Basra
Clean Fighters: Clean Hands and Clean Conscience
Indian Fighters and Arah Bargees on the Tigris .
Anzac Swords and Bombs Scatter Enemy in £gypt
A Nightmare for the Senussi
Beasts of Antiquity Engaged in Armageddon
War Scenes and Incidents East of Suez
Stormy Days In the Threatened Protectorate
Bedouin Hostility Broken Down by British .
Following the Drum in Ancient Persia and Syria .
Western Juggernauts In the Mysterious East
Peeps Behind the Enemy Lines
With the Baffled Foe on Four Fighting Fronts
The Crown Prince's Emblem of Good Fortune
How Krupp Guns are Tested at Essen .
Three Grenadiers : Civilisation at Lowest Ebb
With Enemy Forces in the Balkans
Germany Organises Against the Hunger Wolf
German Activities Along the Coast
Through German Eyes : Two Phases of the War
British Bayonet Charge as Seen by the Enemy
Incidents of the Austrian Eftorts Against Italy
Martial Clatter Echoes with Mountain Cascade
Austrian Al]iinc sddiers Amid the Dolomites
Flames and Grenades .....
The Hand of Science in the Cause of Humanity
Within an Austrian Fort on the Adriatic
Austrian Activities in Montenegro and Albania
Austrians Prepare for New Russian Offensive
. 1995
. 1999
. 2000
. 2003
. 2004
. 2005
. 2006
. 2007
. 2008
. 2010
. 2011
. 2014
. 2015
. 2016
. 2017
. 2018
. 2019
. 2020
. 2021
2022
. 2023
. 2024
Records of Regiments in the War
Sec.-Lieut. McGregor Winning the Military Cross
Lancashires' Gallant Attack on Vimy Ridge .
The Loyal North Lancashires
The Spirit that Made for Victory .
The Yorkshire Light Infantry
Three " Jocks " Guard Six Hundred Prisoners
The Cameron Highlanders ....
The Royal Irish
Smiling Soldier Sons of the Emerald Isle .
The Cameronians or Scottish Rifles
Brave Highlanders to the Attack at Mamctz .
The Cheshires
The East Surreys
The Royal Wrest Kents ....
2020
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
2036
2037
2038
2039
2040
2041
2042
2043
2044
The War by Sea and Air
Sunk o(t Jutland 2046
I) Is Not Words for (lod and King and Country . . . 2040
"She Fought a I.:, II nit Vinht. " 2050
GiTinan ships Rehearsing for Jutland Battle .... 2051
i:ri:i-h Collier Gits lleltcr of U Craft 2n:>2
New Ettorts for Britain's Great Senior Service . . . 2053
JtritMi Battle-Cruiser Fleet Engaging the Might of the German
Navy oft Jutland 2056-7
Impri"ion nf the Action oft the German Cnr.st . . . 2058
spare Time. War Work on a l!attl--ship at Sea . . . 2061
I ini; V.M nt with the Grand Fl<-rt 2IM'2
Peril on the. Waves fro m Shi 11 and 'IVmpcst, .... 2063
A Three-Act Drama of the Air near La Panne . . . 2064
The Last nf /, ppelm l.-jn nit siavangcr 2065
i,lii-tlv I'.ml of an Enemy Pilot 2066
Thrilling Moments in the Flying Man's Car .... aif.7
HOW the Huns were Blinded in the Great Advance . . . SM',S
Letting Him Down: Frem h Pilot's Kxi>e<lient . . . 2000
Hf'ith-phmge of /eppelin L7 liiiTn
Sentinel* of the Skies : Naval Airships on Patrol . . . 2071
Perennial Duel Between " Archies" and Skycraft . . . 207^
I'.ir.l of E\il limn, Hi, s ( ivcr the i'.niish
Front ....... 207.1
The Dying Gasbag LI 5 . . . 2074
Canada on the Western Front
Canadian Lance-Corporal Decorated with the D.C.M.
Canadians Adopt the Shrapnel-Proof Casque
Bayonets, Bombs, and Bullseyes in Flanders .
Hunting for Rats on the Western Front .
Maple Leaf for Ever ! Canadians' Crater Battle .
Canadians Carry Trenches in Counter- Attack .
The Final Eftort of a Brave Canadian
The Great Dominion Ready for Emergencies . .
Britain in War Time
Back from the Front to Clubland
Lord French Reviews Britain's National Reserve .
The First Wounded Heroes from the Somme ....
Ceaseless Endeavour at Home for Victory Abroad .
Haunts of Peace After the Nightmare of War ....
Thrills for the Neophyte at a Riding School . . . .
Oft to France and Back to the Home Country
Womanhood the Great Reserve Behind the Lines .
Women Work with a Will while Men Make War
The First and Last of the Dublin Revolt . . . .
Scenes in the Track of the Sinn Feiners .
Princely and Ducal Service in Britain's Cause
PERSONALIA OF THE GREAT WAR— VISCOUNT GREY,
K.G.
2085
2086
2087
2088
2089
2090
2091
2092
2093
2094
BOOT
2096
2097
2098
2099
2100
2101
2102
2103
2104
2105
2106
2108
2100
2111
2112
21 IS
2114
2115
2116
2117
2118
2119
2120
2121
World-Wide Echoes of the Clash of Arms
Army Service Corps Under Fire .2123
War Time Pets : More Units of the Mascot Battalion . . 2125
Fresh Air and Liberty After Heat of Conflict .... 2127
"\\oincn of the Allied Nations on War Work . . . Uli^s
Some Quaint Extremes in War-Time Transport . . . jiai
To Uphold Freedom's Cause : Portugal in Arms . . . 2130
Live Stock to Feed Soldiers and Refugees .... 2131
Allied and Enemy Prisoners in Two Continent* . . . 2132
Minor Incidents Pictured in Many War Centres . . . 2133
With Friend and Foe Ashore and Atloat .... 2134
Givasr paint and Property-Box near the Trenches . . . 2135
Th.' World-Wide War by Camp. Sea and Waterway . . 2136
War-time. Autos and Some shell-Wrecked Derelicts . . 2137
Pieture Stories from the Album of the World-War . . . 2138
Topsy-Turvevdom in Sport and Service .... 2139
Happy 'I liom.'hts (lf Handy .Men in Emergency . . . 2140
Switzerland's Kindly Care of liritish Prisoners . . . 2141
Training in the Art of Bomb-Throwing ..... 2142
PERSONALIA OF THE GREAT WAR— THE RT. HON.
WILLIAM MOKKIS HUGHES, P.C. . 2144
Britain's Roll of Honoured Dead . 2145-54
Diary of the War .... 1M.V, mi
1808
To frier i*t'jf ;«
1809
The Moving Drama of the Great War
VI.- -The Spring and Summer Campaign of 1916
Progress of Events by Land, Sea and Air from the Eve
of Verdun to the Opening Battles of the Somme
Written by
ARTHUR D. INNES, M.A.,
Author of "A History of the British Nation," etc.
THE news, received on February I7th, 1916, that the
Russians were in Erzerum signalised what promised
to be the opening of a new chapter in the war. It
marked the fact that Russia was again ready, when the
lavourable moment should arrive, to take up a different
r8le from that which had been forced upon her during
the summer of 1915, or from that which she had success-
fully maintained through the late autumn and winter.
Still, a great offensive on the eastern front in Europe
on the part of either belligerent would certainly be
impossible until not only the winter, but at least the
early spring, should be past. Before that time should
arrive it was necessary lor Germany to strike in some
other quarter a blow which should at the least paralyse
or disorganise French and British in the west, so that
they should be unable to assume a vigorous offensive at
the moment when the grapple with Russia should again
become active. It was conceivable, then, that the
Germans would seek a decision in the Balkans ; but only
on the condition that they could throw a very powerful
force into the eastern peninsula without such a depletion
on either of the two main fronts as would involve a very
serious risk of disaster. The alternative was con-
centration upon a decisive blow in the west.
On February igth came the first definite though not
yet fully unmistakable sign that this was the project for
which the Germans had been preparing. It was a
probability so obvious that the French and British
had also prepared for it very thoroughly. It was no
part of the Fianco-British plan to be enticed into a
premature offensive ; that was to await the conditions
which would simultaneously bring the activity of the
Russians in the east into full play. The German plan
had two alternative aims, either to smash through the
Franco-British line, or to beguile the Franco-British
forces into the opening ot a premature attack by which
they would exhaust themselves before it was practicable
for Russia to play her part in the east. It was the
business of the French and British to prevent the
Germans from achieving either of those aims.
Tremendous Importance of Verdun
The presumption then was that the Germans would
open a great attack at one point or more upon the long
western line. The event proved that the point actually
chosen by the Germans was the Verdun salient. In
the week between February igth and February 26th
it had become obvious that the battle of Verdun would
be perhaps more critical and more desperate than any
which had taken place throughout 1915.
The attack then was fully expected, and the tre-
mendous importance of its success to the Germans was
fully appreciated. The soldiers knew that the strategical
value of Verdun itself could be very much overrated.
It had been a fortress of immense strength, but the first
months of the war had demonstrated that fortresses
of immense strength had in fact become obsolete.
Verdun might be abandoned, as the Russians had
abandoned their fortresses, without involving the
breaking of the French line. But it was quite certain
that its abandonment would have a disastrous effect
morally perhaps upon the Allies themselves, and without
any doubt at all upon neutrals ; while it would raise
the confidence of the German population to the highest
pitch. It was therefore the confident belief of those who
had learnt to trust in French generalship that the French
command had taken its measures, and that the Germans
would not get to Verdun.
Nevertheless, at the end of the first week it required
a good deal of faith to maintain that confidence ; even
the most resolute were beginning rather to emphasise
the theory that the fall of Verdun would not be an
irretrievable disaster, than to insist upon their belief
that Verdun was not going to fall. For during that week
the whole French line, the semicircle screening Verdun,
had been pushed back day by day, and the news that
the Germans had seized the fort of Douaumont seemed
to suggest the beginning of the end. As a matter of
fact, it would have been a good deal nearer the mark
to call it the end of the beginning.
The French Scheme of Defence
To follow the course of this great and extremely
critical battle is "by no means easy except with the use
of a large scale map. Approximately the position in
the middle of February was this. The French line ran
in a slightly flattened semicircle round the front of
Verdun. Taking Verdun as the centre, the two ends of
the arc rested on Malancourt, west-north-west of Verdun,
and Manheulles, east-south-east of it, the core of the
semicircle being an approximately straight line running
from Manheulles to Malancourt through Verdun. The
radius was from eight to ten miles. The river Meuse
flows through Verdun, crossing the French line at
Brabant, eight miles north-north-west of Verdun,
taking a very winding course.
The main wall, so to speak, of the French defence was
not, however, the line of the French Front, but lay
between it and Verdun at a distance of five miles or so
along the Charny Ridge on the west or left bank of the
Meuse, and the Louvemont Ridge on the right bank.
The western shoulder of the Louvemont Ridge is Peppei
Hill ; the eastern is the Douaumont Plateau. To reach
Verdun the Germans had first to reach and break
through either the Charny Ridge line west of the Meuse,
or the horseshoe-shaped Louvemont Ridge east of it, or
the south-eastward continuation of the line, called the
Heights of the Meuse, rising out of the plain of Woevre.
At the present season, however, it appears that the
waterlogged character of the plain prevented the develop-
ment of an effective attack upon this third sector.
Now, had the original outer circle of the French line
been actually the main line of defence, the Germans
would have achieved their object by smashing the French
out of that line. But the French scheme of defence did
not concern itself with the permanent holding of that
front line at all. The theory of it was to hold with small
forces a series of screens from which the gradual retire-
ment should be effected upon the very much shorter
line of the Louvemont Ridge, where the attack would
find itself up against defences which might prove im-
pregnable ; while it was calculate that the regulation
methods of the German attack would involve for the
enemy, in the course of their advance, an enormous
expenditure both of men and munitions, an expenditure
worth while it it meant the breaking of the French line,
but not otherwise.
For the whole of the first week, then, the German
onslaught was developed upon the middle sector, the
curve of the arc on the east of the Meuse and on the north
B5
1810
THE DRAMA OF THE WAR
Supplies of large-calibre shells on their way to the front
organisation of transport to and from Verdun was largely re
of our ally's great resistance.
of Verdun. On February 2ist, alter two days of artillery
preparation, the German infantry was launched upon the
French. Day by day the French
screen fell back a mile or so, inflicting
losses very much heavier than it sus-
tained. On Friday, the 25th, the
French had been pushed in to the
Louvemont Ridge, which was con-
tinued on the west of the Meuse by
the Charny Ridge. The attack, how-
ever, had not been developed in the
west of the Meuse, where the French
had been subjected only to heavy
bombardments. The French Front
there still ran by Malancourt, past
15 •thincourt to the Meuse, facing
Brabant. Between the left flank of
the I.ouvemont Ridge and Brabant
ran the Meuse, like the letter S
turned the wrong way round, an
impassable barrier, completely com-
manded by the French artillery in
position on the hills on the left of the
Meuse between the French front line
and the Charny Ridge.
The French, therefore, on the left
of the Meuse were not threatened by
the German advance on the right
of the Meuse, but the right flank
of the German advance, by the
time that it was fronting Pepper
Hill, was exposed to the storm ot
fire from the French guns on the
left of the Meuse, and any attempt
to storm Pepper Hill must be made
under that fire. If, therefore, a
successful attempt was to be made
to storm the Louvemont Ridge, it
must be on the eastern side of the
horseshoe, which was not under fire
from the left bank of the Meuse.
The Momentous Day
Therefore, on Friday, February
25th, the immediate German ob-
jective was the eastern key of the
horseshoe, the Douaumont Plateau.
If the Germans could master that
plateau in force, they would be able
to envelop the Louvemont Ridge.
So far, although the huge masses
of the Germans had rolled forward
some four miles nearer to Verdun
so that they were actually able to
shell the town, there had been no
crisis, although, at least, to unexpert
eyes they seemed to have won a
series of victories ominous of
disaster to the French. The crisis
came only when they were up against
the wall of the Louvemont Ridge.
The Saturday then (February 26th)
was a supremely momentous day ;
for on it the Germans made their
grand attack all round the horseshoe
front from Pepper Hill to Douaumont.
Time after time they swept forward
only to be mowed down by the
murderous fire on front and flank
upon Pepper Hill, "the Germans'
grave." Time after time fresh
masses took the place of those
who had been mowed down, only
to meet with the same fate. Five
times they came on ; five times
they were shattered. But on the
east, the Douaumont side, they
were covered from the flanking fire ;
yet it was only with the seventh
onslaught that they won at last a
looting on the plateau, and the alarming news was
proclaimed that they had captured the fort of Douaumont.
by lorry. The French
ponsible for the success
To the first line on board motor-lorries. How the gallant French man-at-arms went
into battle near Verdun
1811
THE SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN OF 1916
The man who turned the tide. General Balfourier, who was in command of the French Twentieth Army Corps, the men who
•wept the Germans oft the Plain of Douaumont when the enemy had all but succeeded in carrying the coveted position.
As a matter of fact, the achievement at Douaumont,
though serious, was very far from being so important
as it seemed. The so-called fort was one of what had
been a ring of outlying forts round Verdun, all of which
had been dismantled a year before, when the uselessness
of forts under the new conditions had been made clear.
The Germans had a footing on the plateau, and that an
extremely precarious one ; the dismantled fort, occupied
by a Brandenburg regiment, made a dip in the French
line. That was all ; for though the French, under the
storm of artillery fire which had preceded the last
attack, were obliged to fall back for a short distance,
arrangements had been made to deliver a counter-attack
with a mass of picked troops precisely at the critical
moment. The German mass was beaten back, and it was
only a small wedge that succeeded in clinging on to the
position, which it did not in any possible sense command.
Germans Attack West of the Meuse
Nevertheless, there was a period of intense anxiety
before the news published on the 2 8th and following
days restored a confident belief that the French would
hold their own on the Douaumont Plateau. In spite
of jubilant German declarations, the enemy • never
succeeded in getting possession of the village of Douau-
mont, which gave its name to the fort.
All through the next week a series of recurring
onslaughts was made upon the Louvemont Ridge,
accompanied by a good deal of hard fighting and some
unimportant French withdrawals along the southern
extension of the line. The main effort continued to be
directed against the Douaumont Plateau, both from the
north-east as before, and on the Vaux ravine just on its
south, where lay the village of Vaux and the dismantled
fort of 'Vaux south of the village ; but though the Germans
acquired a footing in the village, they were unable to
carry it. Each day increased confidence in the strength
of the defence of the line.
With the beginning of the third week the attack
developed on the west of the Meuse. Here the French
held strong positions in the hills flanking the river
between the front line and the Charny Ridge, notably
the ridge in the northern loop of the S called the Cote de
1'Oie, the Goose Crest, where lay the three heights
known from their elevation as Hill 265, Hill 295 (other-
wise called the Mort Homme), and, on another ridge.
Hill 304, the most westerly. Here the French line was
bent back, the Germans getting possession of the eastern
part of the ridge and Hill 265, while the French remained
in possession of the Mort Homme and Hill 304.
The Deathtrap of Mort Homme
As the situation developed, it became clear that the
Mort Homme was simply a deathtrap for the Germans,
and would remain so at least until they could get
possession of Hill 364. Nor would the capture even of
the Mort Homme open the way to Verdun, since between
it and Verdun lay the main wall of the Charny Ridge.
It was not, however, till nearly the end of the third
week that the strength of the Mort Homme position had
demonstrated itself. For the Germans not only captured
Hill 265, but also established themselves between it
and the Mort Homme in the Crows' Wood, which brought
them so close to the Mort Homme that the chance of
their being able to storm the height from it seemed by
no means remote. By the end of the week, however, the
Crows' Wood itself had been recovered by the French.
So far, then, the effect had been this. The original
French line ran in a north-easterly curve from Avocourt,
through B^thincourt, to the Meuse at Brabant on its
right bank. The attack on the Goose Crest had pushed
back the line between Bethincourt and the Meuse, so
1812
THE DRAMA OF THE WAR
that it now lay Irom Bethincourt to Cumieres, still in
front of the Mort Homme. This had created a salient
(Avocourt-Bethincourt-Cumieres) within which lay the
Mort Homme and Hill 304 to the west of it.
Since the Mort Homme had proved its capacity for
defying attack on the east and north of this salient,
the next move was to thrust at the west of the salient,
in the hope of reaching and carrying Hill 304, which
would dominate the Mort Homme and render that
position untenable. That move did not begin till the
fifth week, on March 2oth. For in the fourth week
the Germans recovered possession of Crows' Wood, and
made two furious attacks on the 24th and the 26th,
directed upon another " Hill 265," which flanks the
Mort Homme on the north-west. (These figures, by the
way, represent the number of metres above the sea level.
Roughly speaking, thirty metres equals one hundred feet.)
The result of this was that the Germans penetrated to
the slope of this second Hill 265, but no more, though
this extremely costly gain of ground was somewhat
inexplicably proclaimed by them as the capture of the
Mort Homme. A fresh blow was also discharged against
Vaux, but here, also, the German attack was repulsed.
French Line Intact After Six Weeks
It was on
March 20 th, just a month after the opening
of the grand attack which was to have
captured Verdun, broken the French line,
and started the German Army upon
another rush to Paris within a fortnight,
that the Germans began the movement
to take the Mort Homme position in
flank by an advance upon Avocourt.
By the use of the most atrocious of their
uncivilised weapons, liquid fire, they
succeeded in making some impression,
and in pushing forward during the
ensuing days to the lower slopes of
Hill 304.
But at the close of the month of
March, when the battle for Verdun had
been in progress for six weeks, the French
line still ran intact in front of Verdun.
Since the first week the Germans had
gained no appreciable ground, though
they had brought forward great masses
of reserves. Their attacks had weakened,
and their losses had been enormous, the
most extravagantly favourable esti-
mates placing them at not less than
150,000. The French, on the other hand,
had not brought their reserves into
action at all, except upon particular
occasions when they had been employed
to deliver counter-attacks, as at Douau-
mont on February 26th. And their
losses had not exceeded 50,000.
The Germans had neither taken
Verdun, nor had they induced the Allies
to enter upon a premature offensive
Part of the inexhaustible supply of munitions for mitrailleuses on the way to the battle zone. Inset : Welcome reinforcement for
the men in the first line. Cans of hot soup ready to be transported to the trenches during the great battle of Verdun.
THE SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN OF 1916
on other parts of the line. There could be no more than
the faintest shadow of a doubt that a tremendous effort
had been made to force a decision in the west at an
enormous cost, and that the effort had failed.
The British had taken no direct part in the great
defence, though it was well understood that they were
both able and willing to do so if desired. Not till the
struggle had been for a long time in progress did it
become known that they had in fact released a large
number of French troops to support the Verdun defence
by taking over a greatly extended line, though the
troops they released had not been called into action.
Britain's Role During the Verdun Struggle
The obvious suggestion was made that when the
Germans were massing against Verdun the British
should have seized the opportunity to strike hard in
Flanders and Artois. Instead, the r6le assigned to them
was that of maintaining a constant menace unaccom-
panied by any violent effort. Before Verdun, provided
that the French could maintain their hold, it was all to the
good that the Germans should send more and more of
their men to destruction in the attempt to smash through.
So there went on
a great deal of that
bombarding which
is a necessary pre-
liminary to any
grand attack. The
German capture of
the International
trench near Ypres,
on February I4th,
had been perhaps
more of an insult
than an injury. It
was extremely an-
noying that the
attempts to recover
it had failed. It was,
therefore, highly
satisfactory to learn
that on March 2nd
the trench was
recaptured, and
that in the attack
the line of trenches previously held by the Germans had
also been penetrated and occupied. On the same day
there were successful mining operations further south at
the Hohenzollern Redoubt, where one effect was the de-
struction of the enemy's main mining shaft. Again, at
the end of the month, on March 27th, the German
salient at St. Eloi, not three miles south of Ypres, was
carried by the Northumberland and Royal Fusiliers and
the Canadians, rectifying a somewhat troublesome
portion of the line.
While the Italians were still nibbling their way for-
ward on the Isonzo line, there appeared to be a complete
lull in the Balkan operations. There, it was presumed,
the Allies would not open an offensive campaign until
the time should come for a general and simultaneous
attack on every front. The general conviction was
that the future conduct of the Balkan States, Serbia
and Montenegro excepted, would depend chiefly upon
the result of the Verdun operations.
Russia and the Balkan! Still Waiting
Nobody doubted that Germany's Turkish allies were
already in a condition little short of desperate, while
Bulgaria, whatever Ferdinand's feelings might be, was
resentful of the German neglect of her claims — suspicious
that she had allowed herself to be used as a tool, misled
by the belief that victory was already in the grasp of
the Central Powers. Her sullen mood might be dis-
pelled by an emphatic German success ; but if the
Verdun business proved a failure, Bulgaria would realise,
as Turkey had already realised for herself, that she had
been .duped, and would, at the worst, be unwilling to
stir a finger in aid of the ally who had duped her. As
for Rumania, she, unless actively attacked, would
Field-Marshal von Haeseler, the veteran
In supreme command of the German
Verdun offensive.
certainly not move so long as she was in doubt which
side would win. It was at least possible that the Verdun
battle or campaign would dispel her questionings ;
while its issue was uncertain, Rumania's conduct would
remain uncertain.
In these circumstances, the Allies, Bulgaria, and
Rumania all remained outwardly quiescent. But
Rumania, at least, was likely to be strongly affected by
another factor. What part would Russia be capable
of playing in the coming campaign ?
Twelve months before, Rumania had seemed to be on
the verge of joining the fray. But it had then become
evident that she had no intention of coming in in order
to turn a dubious scale ; she would come only when
assured that the scale would turn without her inter-
vention. She had not stepped in to help Russia ; on
the contrary, she had sat still while Russia was pushed
back and back. Still, the Russian retreat had not
convinced her that Russia was beaten ; she had neither
given the lead to Bulgaria nor followed her in joining
the Central Powers. If now she were convinced, first,
that the power of the Central Empires was wearing out,
and secondly, that the power of Russia was renewing
itself, she might soon
judge that the time
had come when
she could intervene
with more profit
to herself than if
she tarried too long.
And the omens
pointed to the re-
suscit ation of
Russia. It was in-
deed notorious that
conditions of climate
and conditions of
soil would prohibit
a grand offensive
in the east on
either side until
the season which
is sometimes called
late spring and
sometimes early
summer. The
moment for Rumanian intervention would probably come,
if it came at all, simultaneously with the general offensive
of the Entente Powers. But in the meantime Russia was
giving more than a hint of that recovery of strength
which would certainly be one of Rumania's requirements.
Preparation* on the Eastern Front
The long Russian line from Riga to Rumania was cut
in two by the Pripet Marshes. There could be no rapid
movement of troops between the northern section and
the southern section. When the great offensive should
come, whether Russia or Germany should strike first,
the Russian offensive would be in the south ; in the
north she would remain, primarily, at least, on the
defensive. The Central Empires might, and probably
would, reverse these conditions.
Through the late winter or early spring, therefore,
both sides were moving, not to start on the offensive,
but to gain the positions from which the offensive could
be set in motion with the passing of spring. Thus, from
time to time, there were sharp engagements at various
points both on the northern and on the southern portions
of the line, with highly contradictory statements issued
from Petrograd and Berlin respectively as to the size of
the forces and the severity of the losses. It was difficult
on either side to show a distinct gain on the balance in
the north ; but it was tolerably clear that in the southern
section the Russians had the upper hand of the Austrians.
And everywhere the reports concurred in showing that
the last year's fatal deficiency of ammunition on the
part of the Russians had been made good.
And in the meanwhile it was significant that in
Persia and in the Caucasus, Russia was dealing faithfully
with the enemy ; and there was at least a reasonable
The man and the hour. Qeneral Retain,
to whose brilliant leadership was due
the glorious defence of Verdun.
1814
THE DRAMA OF THE WAR
Nonchalant attitudes of the most alert of fighting men. British cross-Channel pilots somewhere on the South Coast awaiting
orders for departure. (Special photograph issued by the Press Bureau.)
prospect of a Turkish collapse, which would ere long
liberate large reinforcements for the front in Russia itself.
Unhappily, the progress of the Russians in the Asiatic
area was not accompanied by corresponding British
success in Mesopotamia. The position there was one
of deadlock. General Townshend at Kut-el-Amara
was virtually blockaded by an immensely superior
Turkish force. It appeared that General Aylmer's
relief expedition was not strong enough to raise the
blockade, though only five and twenty miles of the
Tigris lay between it and Kut.
Against German East Africa and the Senussi
It was known that there had been a painful failure to
supply the advance column with medical and other
necessaries ; it was not known how long its food supplies
would hold out ; and consequently, the whole situation
in Mesopotamia could only be viewed with the gravest
anxiety. For it could not be expected that the Russians
would be able for many weeks to come to send south-
wards a column of such strength as to break its way to
Bagdad and put to flight the forces investing Kut.
It was only in German East Africa and on the west ot
Presentation aeroplanes lined up somewhere in England
overseas to the war zones
Egypt that the fighting had a character bearing any
resemblance to the wars of the past. The East African
command had in February been entrusted to General
Smuts, as stout a champion of the British Empire now
as he had been a champion of the Boers in the South
African War. The talents which Lord Kitchener had
once recognised in an adversary were now given play in
a colleague, and the nature of the East African campaign
was thoroughly suited to the genius and the experience
of General Smuts. All the news from that quarter
showed his thorough understanding of the task before
him, and pointed to its swift and successful completion.
At the same time the hostile movements of the Senussi
on the western borders of Egypt presented no new
problems of warfare, while the British were able to bring
into operation, with decisive effect, the military weapons
evolved during the twentieth century — motors and
aeroplanes. By the end of March it was clear that no
further serious trouble was to be feared from the Senussi.
The Operations of the Moewe
For a long time past naval activity had not been
conspicuous, apart from the submarine piracy and from
the operations of the Moewe. The
month of March was more prolific.
In its first week it became known
that the enterprising German cruiser
had succeeded in evading detection,
slipped through the British patrols,
and found her way to a German port.
Her complete bag had numbered no
less than fourteen vessels. Whether
her methods had been altogether
legitimate may be questioned ; but,
at least, she had been honourably
distinguished by an observation of
recognised principles of humanity
which was refreshing. It did not
become known till some weeks
later that her sister ship, the Greif,
had started upon a similar errand
to that of the Moewe, but had been
caught and sent to the bottom
while still in the North Sea on Febru-
ary zgth. Sailing under Norwegian
colours, she had been detected by
the British patrol boat Alcantara,
an arrned merchant cruiser.
An engagement followed in which
the gunfire of the Alcantara had very
nearly sealed the fate of the Greif
prior to being piloted
1815
THE SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN OF 1916
when her own steering-gear was disabled, and she became
an easy target for the Greif "s torpedoes. Two more ships
arriving settled the Greif, but the Alcantara was also sunk.
Most of the British and a considerable number of the
Geiman crew were rescued and brought to Scotland.
Great British Air Raid on Schleiwig
A great air raid over Zeebrugge on March 2ist appears
to have been responsible for bringing about another
naval skirmish between destroyers. Three German
destroyers escaped from Zeebrugge, but were sighted and
chased by four British destroyers, which stopped the
pursuit when the Germans sought to draw them into a mine
area. Two of the Germans were known to have been badly
hit, but the damage done to the British was trifling.
On March 25th there was a still livelier engagement
under wild and exciting weather
conditions. An air raid on the
Schleswig coast, directed against
the Zeppelin bases, was accom-
panied by the light cruiser
squadron of Commodore Tyr-
whitt. The squadron was en-
gaged by German cruisers,
destroyers, and aircraft. One
destroyer was rammed, a couple
of armed trawlers weff sunk,
and it appeared at least that
several other destroyed were
very hard hit, while one of the
aircraft was brought down. In
spite of the heavy seas, the
British succeeded in rescuing
a considerable number of
Germans. On the other hand,
Flight-Corn. R. J. Bone,
who brought down a
German aeroplane In the
Channel, March, 1916.
The Duke of Westminster (left) with the Duke of Marlborough.
The former scattered retreating Bedouins near Sollum.
Elevated German machine - gun
in action in Flanders against an
allied aerial reconnaissance.
a British ship, the Medusa, was
sunk by a collision, though her
crew were rescued, and three of
the British air squadron were
forced to descend, not by gun-
fire, but through failure of their
engines. Their occupants had
the unusual fate of being picked
up and taken prisoners instead
of being left to drown.
So much for the naval
operations proper. The piracy
record was still more remarkable.
The P. & O. liner Maloja was
sunk by a mine off Dover, with
a loss of one hundred and fifty
lives. A new programme was
announced to come into force on
March ist. No immediate results
were apparent, since, according to
the general belief, the Kaiser and the Chancellor wished
to avoid a positive breach with the United States,
which had definitely refused to endorse the German
theory that neutrals travelled at their own peril. The
belief seemed to be endorsed by the dismissal of Admiral
Tirpitz on March i6th. But whatever the wishes of
the Kaiser and the Chancellor may have been, public
opinion in Germany had pinned its faith to the Tirpitz
programme with such feverish intensity that the Govern-
ment was forced to carry it through in spite of the
dismissal of its originator.
Cross-Channel Steamer Sussex Torpedoed
On the same day, March i6th, the Dutch liner Tubantia
was torpedoed without warning by a German submarine ;
though happily the crew and passengers were rescued.
The Tubantia was followed by the Palembang, another
Dutch vessel sunk without warning, and on March
25th the cross-channel steamer Sussex, carrying three
hundred and eighty civilian passengers, including
some American citizens, was torpedoed without warning.
On the 2jth a like fate befell the Atlantic cruiser Minne-
apolis ; while a still worse crime was the deliberate
sinking of the Russian hospital ship Portugal on March
30th in the Black Sea. Of the two hundred and seventy-
three persons on board, one hundred and fifteen were
lost, including fourteen sisters of charity.
All through the month of March the activity of the
air warfare upon the battle fronts was increasingly
prominent, but official reports were far from illumining,
A general impression certainly prevailed that the Ger-
mans had the better machines. Aircraft construction
being still in its infancy, it would seem to be almost
certain that weaknesses must be gradually revealed.
181C
THE DRAMA OF THE WAR
Headquarters of one of the French divisions established in a strongly fortified cellar near the firing-line. Staff officers, some of
whom are wearing the steel casque, are busy working out some military problem.
or, rather, that the causes ot weaknesses can only be
gradually discovered, and on the other hand that im-
provements will suggest themselves which take time
to test before they can be adopted even in new machines,
and before it becomes clear that they are not merely
steps to further improvement for the development
of which it is better to wait. Hence from time to time
either side succeeds in bringing into operation machines
better adapted for some specific purpose than those
in present use ; with the result that a temporary ascend-
ency passes to the side which has brought the new
machine into the airfield.
Aerial Activity of Friend and Foe
Experts pin their faith to particular developments
which in the eyes of other experts will be of little per-
manent account ; but the faithful are exceedingly
angry over the incompetence of the authorities who do
not at once recognise their obvious duty. To more
level-headed persons it appears inevitable that superiority
in the machines should alternate so long as the intel-
lectual capacity and the productive power of both
sides are approximately equal, but that in the balance
the ascendency must fall to the side whose machines
are controlled by the best men. There was never any
reason to doubt that if the Germans achieved a tem-
porary superiority, no long time would pass before it
would be redressed.
As we have pointed out before, the fact that the
greater part of the aerial fighting is carried on over
the enemy's lines, not over the lines of the Allies, meant
that comparatively few of the aircraft which were
forced to descend, whether of the Allies or of the Germans,
did so within the allied lines.
Thus, whereas the allied losses could be reckoned,
those of the Germans could only be vaguety guessed ;
while it was absolutely certain that the figures published
by the enemy had only the remotest possible connection
with the actual facts. And it hardly seemed probable
that if there was actually a marked superiority on the
part of the Germans, their airmen would continue to
yield the palm of audacity to those of the Allies.
Along the battle front, then, the airmen of the Allies
and of the Germans fought each other with a balance
of success which it was not possible to gauge. On the
other hand, while England was subjected to occasional
slight aeroplane attacks, and to a scries of Zeppelin
raids, several aeroplane raids on a larger scale were
organised by the Allies against points behind the Ger-
man lines ; Metz being apparently the favourite ob-
jective of the French, while the British attacks were
developed against the coasts. Of these we have already
noted the two of principal importance.
Zeppelin Attempts on the East Coast
On March 2oth, sixty-five British, French, and Belgian
planes bombarded Zeebruggc, suffering only one casualty,
and dropping four tons of explosives ; and on March
2gth took place the joint air and sea operations on the
Schleswig coast, in which it was believed that very
substantial damage was done, though three British
planes were lost. On the other hand, it appeared that
the defences of London had been so far perfected that
no more Zeppelins appeared there ; though three
Zeppelins came over the Hast Coast on March 5th, when
they succeeded in killing thirteen persons, injuring
thirty-three, and doing an appreciable amount of
miscellaneous damage.
There was good reason, however, to believe, in spite
the absence of official notification, that several visits
were in the course of the month paid to the East Coast
by Zeppelins and aeroplanes, which were turned back
1S1T
THE SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN OF 1916
without effecting any damage whatever, though pre-
sumably without actual loss.
If to some observers it was patent at the beginning
of April that the attack on Verdun had definitely failed,
that was nevertheless true only in the sense that, if
ever the Germans did get to Verdun itself, they would
still be utterly unable to achieve the objects with which
the great blow had been delivered. But it remained
conceivable that the retention of Verdun by the French
might prove so costly that the Allies would rather
choose retirement. On the other hand, the Germans
were so deeply committed to the adventure that admis-
sion of their inability 1o
carry it through would have
had upon their own people
and upon neutrals a most
disastrous effect ; an effect
compared with which the
abandonment of the Galli-
poli enterprise by the Allies
would have been trivial.
The German effort there-
fore in no way relaxed,
though each fresh exertion
followed an all but identical
course. Either on the Mort
Homme sector, or on the
Douaumont sector, or
both, a prolonged and
intensified bombardment
prepared the way for a
sledge-hammer infantry on
slaught and the pene-
tration of some "ele-
ments "of the French
front line — usually,
but not invariably,
followed by a French
counter-attack which
ejected the Germans
from the elements
gained ; after which
there would ensue a
lull for a few days,
until the forces were
reorganised for the
next attack.
Calculations of the
losses on either side
could hardlv be
regarded as even approximately trustworthy. The
principle, however, holds good that whether positions
were held or evacuated, the heavier toll was paid by the
attacking party, whether in a main attack or a counter-
attack. As the German attacks were directed against
positions which in the main were held, while the French
counter-attacks were delivered only against occasional
positions which had been lost, there could be no doubt
that the German losses were much the greater. The
losses could hardly be less than 50 per cent., and might
be much higher.
Along the British front, extended for the liberation
of French forces transferred to Verdun,
the battle for front line trenches continued
ceaselessly ; mainly about the mine-craters
at St. Eloi and the Hulluch quarries,
craters and trenches changing hands from
week to week — almost from day to day —
as concentrated bombardments made one
spot or another untenable by its tem-
porary occupants. But in accordance
with the plans of the General Staff, the
British were not to be tempted or goaded
into premature activity on a larger scale.
Apart from the well-meant but curiously
unintelligent clamour of a few people in
England, that the British were " doing
nothing to help their allies," it was very
Belgian soldiers en route for a spell of trench digging. The first photograph shows a group of stalwart Belgian soldiers outside
their billets, and the centre snapshot is of M. Poincare, the French President, saluting King Albert, wearing his khaki uniform.
1818
THE DRAMA OF THE WAR
well understood that this activity was restricted not by
their own will, but by the military direction of the Allies.
On the sea the violent outburst of submarine piracy
which distinguished the last fortnight of March was of
brief duration. In fact, the campaign was over within
a month of its beginning. It had apparently been started
in response to the feverish clamour which arose when
it was popularly supposed that the Tirpitz programme
had been thrown overboard ; and it was abandoned
publicly on political grounds, as a concession to American
opinion, for which a return was expected in the form of
pressure to stop the blockade of imports. The case of the
Sussex in particular had met with a reception in the
United States which could almost be called threatening.
There were suspicions, however, that the true cause
of the abandonment was to be found in the counter-
measures of the British Admiralty, and the consciousness
of failure.
Capture of Trebizond bv the Russians
In the Balkans the adversaries were marking time.
The Allies were accumulating forces and supplies, and
the Bulgarians were presumably not prepared to attempt
an offensive single-handed, while sufficient demands were
made upon the Austrians by the Italian and Russian
fronts to prevent them from giving their strange com-
panions-in-arms the desired support. As for the
Germans, every battalion that Hindenburg could spare
was needed at Verdun.
And the Turks ? The Turks had more than enough
to occupy them in Asia. They had one considerable
army tied to the position on the Tigris between the
British and Bagdad ; they had scattered forces in
Persia, for the most part being hunted by Russians;
their main forces were hard put to it by the Grand Duke's
armies from Erzerum ; and their position became all
the more critical when, in mid-April, the Russians
captured Trebizond on the Black Sea. Their doom,
it seemed, could hardly be postponed for very long ;
yet for them the situation was not without its consoling
feature.
At Kut-el-Amara lay General Townshend with some
9.000 men, mainly Indian battalions. He had been
there since December ; first grimly gripping the position
which was to be the key to Bagdad for the approaching
expeditionary force ; then holding out with indomitable
resolution till that force should win the mastery over the
river, the marshes, and the larger forces of the Turks —
holding out, because to cut the way through was im-
possible ; holding out with an ever-nearing prospect
of being starved into surrender ; while only five and
twenty miles away General Gorringe, who had taken
General Aylmer's place, was struggling desperately to
overcome the insuperable obstacles that lay between.
Defence and Fall of Kut
Viewed merely as a military operation, the event at
Kut-el-Amara was of little enough significance. The
fall of Kut would not even release the Turkish forces.
They would still be tied to the spot by General Gorringe,
since, if they retreated, his way to Bagdad would be
open. Their fate would be ultimately sealed when
Russian columns arrived from the north. Townshend
had done his heroic work. It was true that a surrender
would put 9,000 men permanently out of action, but in
this portentous war that was practically a negligible
number.
On the other hand, it was possible that British prestige
in the East might suffer seriously, yet that was im-
probable. Nevertheless, the progress of the struggle
was watched with the keenest anxiety ; for it was the
universal conviction that Townshend was the splendid
victim of a blunder in no wise of his own making, that
the defence of Kut was one of the most gallant episodes
in Great Britain's military annals, and that victory, not
defeat, was the brave defender's due.
It was not to be. An attack, not to be denied, carried
Gorringe's troops into the enemy's first lines ; but the
good tidings were followed by the news that the victors
in that fight had again been forced to fall back by over-
whelming numbers. It was known that Townshend 's
supplies could only last a very few more days. A
daring dash up the Tigris was made by a supply boat,
but it could not reach its objective ; and on May ist
came the official announcement that Townshend had
surrendered unconditionally. The Turks, as usual,
showed their superiority to their allies by paying full
honour to their heroic adversary and by promptly
arranging an exchange of wounded prisoners.
The last week of April, during which Kut actually
fell, and the first days of May, were rich in events of
varying significance, though their appal to the imagina-
tion was more striking than their direct bearing on the
war. The stage was at last reached when the resources
of voluntary enlistment were obviously exhausted,
and all but the most extravagant advocates of volun-
taryism felt with a certain relief that the compulsory
summoning of the small percentage of men still available
for military service was no longer to be opposed.
Insurrection of the Sinn Feiners
The Germans, grievously disappointed by the crass
stupidity which had made not only Canada and Australia
but South Africa and India prefer the integrity of the
British Empire to a Teutonic world-domination, still
had hopes from Ireland — having learnt nothing from the
magnificent exploits of the Irish regiments at the Front.
The news that a German auxiliary cruiser, carrying arms
and ammunition for a rising, had been sunk off the Irish
coast, and that Sir Roger Casement was a prisoner,
appeared on April 25th simultaneously with the report
of an almost harmless Zeppelin raid on the East Coast ;
and on the next morning came the announcement of a
second Zeppelin raid, a naval raid on Lowestoft, and an
insurrection of the Sinn Feiners — the Irish extremists—
in Dublin. No one doubted that all these events were
intimately connected.
The second Zeppelin raid was as abortive as the first,
the raid on Lowestoft hardly less so. The latter was the
work of the German battle-cruiser squadron, which
bombarded Lowestoft for twenty minutes, was engaged
vigorously by a British light-cruiser squadron, turned tail,
and vanished to safe quarters — presumably under the
impression that British ships of a more formidable type
might be expected immediately. The brilliant audacity
displayed by the light cruisers in their attack upon the
immensely stronger German squadron was well rewarded.
Far more serious and deplorable was the unhappy
attempt of the Irish irreconcilables to wreck the cause
to which Nationalists were ren ering much splendid
service even at that moment. That there were plenty
of irreconcilables still in Ireland everyone knew ; that
the outbreak could have been prevented by a stronger
Chief Secretary than Mr. Birrell nearly everyone believed.
But that the attempt should have been made was hardly
more surprising than its effective limitation to Dublin,
where its suppression was hampered by the desire of
the authorities to avoid operations involving the des-
truction of property. Within the week, the rebels had
realised the futility of continued resistance, and Ireland
had vindicated her loyalty to the Empire, and to the
cause into which the Empire had thrown itself.
Belgians Invade German East Africa
Progress in East Africa was somewhat retarded by
the rainy season as well as by the vastness of the area
of operations and the comparative absence of means of
communication. A Belgian contingent from the Congo,
however, was now beginning to play an active part, a
fresh British column was about to invade the south, and
success was steadily attending the British arms wherever
the enemy were brought to an engagement. No variation
developed in the character of the fighting before Verdun
and on the British Front in Flanders and Artois ; while
for a long time past the mutual hammering of Italians
and Austrians on the Isonzo Front had been apparently
no less unproductive of definite result.
Now, however, it seemed that Austria was to take her
1819
THE SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN OF 1916
Hoisting a shell aboard a British warship, to be stored until the German Fleet ventured out again. Having won a great victory
off Jutland, May 31st, 1916, the British Fleet was alert for any further activity on the part of the Germans.
turn in seeking to procure some striking success for the
Central Powers. The Germans were committed to the
great effort on the western front, and could not, as it
seemed, spare forces to enable Hindenburg to attempt
another grand offensive against the Russian northern
army. If the frontal struggle on the Isonzo area offered
no opportunity for a decisive blow, there was still another
way which might be tried.
Austrian Offensive on Trentino Front
It was pointed out in a previous volume that the
Italian frontier fixed in 1866 had retained for Austria the
immense advantage of the Trentino wedge, lying on the
flank of the Lombard Plain, which is the great highway
of communication between industrial and central Italy
and the strategic frontier of the north-eastern corner.
It had been a fundamental necessity for the Italians,
when the campaign opened in 1915, to cover the Lombard
Plain from an -attack through the Trentino, which would
seriously imperil the communications of armies operating
on the Isonzo.
The new Austrian move, then, was a concentration
upon the Trentino with a view to bursting through,
threatening the entire industrial area of northern Italy,
and placing the Italian forces on the Isonzo in a very-
dangerous position. Should this movement be successful
it might have a paralysing effect upon Italy, and even
compel her to make separate terms and retire from the
war. On the other hand, the attempt involved, as the
event showed, the withdrawal of heavy guns and picked
troops from the Russian front between Pripet Marshes
and the Bukovina.
This, then, was the plan which, after full and secret
preparation, was brought into play in the third week of
May. Trent, always in possession of the Austrians, is
the point on which converge the two routes down to the
Lombard Plain by the Brenta and the Adige, the Val
Sugana and the Val Lagarina. Both these routes were
blocked by the Italians. If the Austrians could obtain
the effective mastery of either, the whole Italian position
would be gravely imperilled. If they could pierce the
defensive line stretching across from one valley to the
other, they could descend upon one valley or the other
in the' rear of the Italians.
By the end of the week, after prolonged and heavy
bombardments and furious fighting, in which the
Austrians claimed to have captured many prisoners
and much war material, the Italians had been forced to
withdraw from their advanced position in both valleys,
but only to new positions which still commanded them
completely. At the same time the whole intervening
Inie was being pushed back, so that while our allies were
in fact holding their own securely in the two flanks of
the line, the Austrians were forming a growing salient
on the centre, and their forward pressure was increasing.
And in the meanwhile the Germans were able to claim
a slight but appreciable success against the British on
the Vimy Ridge, and the fight before Verdun was again
increasing in intensity both on the Douaumont section
and on the left of the Meuse, resulting in some gain of
ground to the Germans, who succeeded in occupying
Cumidres in the latter area, while the capture of Douau-
mont " fort " by the French was followed by a German
counter-attack which recovered it.
Terrific onslaughts and furious return strokes, costing
no one knew how many thousands of lives, had by this
time become so much the recognised order of the day
that they almost ceased to excite emotion. Trenches
defended till bombardment had battered them out of all
semblance of defences, trenches stormed, trenches
recovered, countless deeds of heroic courage worthy of
a V.C., out in this war accepted as the sort of thing that
everyone was doing as a matter of course, these things
had become commonplaces of every day. There was
something fantastic in attempting to recall to our minds
wars in which the cutting up of a detachment of some
scores or hundreds of men had thrilled us as lamentable
disasters. The battering of the Germans upon the allied
defences was becoming as monotonous to our exhausted
imaginations as the crashing of the tide upon a granite
cliff. The public was waiting, almost incredulously, for
something that would stir it and startle it.
First News of the Jutland Battle
And on the night of June 2nd came the news that was
more than startling. The next morning's papers con-
tained the bald announcement from the Admiralty,
which amounted to this: "The German Fleet had come
out of its lair, there had been a great battle in the
North Sea, and the Germans had returned to port, but
they had first sunk three - British battle-cruisers and
three cruisers, besides, perhaps, nine destroyers." They
1820
THE DRAMA OF THE WAR
themselves had lost one battle-cruiser and a couple ol
light cruisers, besides, perhaps, another battle-cruiser and
battleship. It was believed that further serious damage
had been inflicted.
What had happened ? On the face of it, a German
victory. Not, of course, a victory that disabled the
British Fleet, but one in which it had suffered heavy
loss in capital ships, apparently twice as heavy as the
Germans. The thing was intolerable, inexplicable.
Had Beatty committed some fatal blunder, fallen into
some skilfully laid trap, rushed to destruction in the
belief that reckless valour was the one virtue required
of a British admiral ? A beflagged Germany was ringing
from end to end with this triumphant vindication of
her naval might. Could it be the sober truth that British
naval supremacy was actually in doubt ? The fight had
taken place forty-eight hours before the British Ad-
miralty had issued its reluctant information. Was there
more behind ?
The Admiralty's Second Report
There was more behind, but not by any means on the
lines anticipated, even by persons usually sanguine,
although it was true that after the first shock it was
possible to suspect that first impressions had been too
pessimistic.
The second report from the Admiralty seemed to
promise that if the British Fleet had been hard hit, the
German Fleet had been hit at least as hard, relatively ;
the proportionate strength of the two, that is, had not
altered in favour of Germany, and the capital fact was
outstanding that after the battle the enemy had with-
drawn to his own ports, had sought no further conflict,
and had pursued no other objective. Unless he had
aimed at nothing more than an experimental passage of
arms it was clear that technically, at least, he had not
won a victory. Still, a drawn battle between the British
and German Fleets must be accounted as a distinct moral
victory for the Germans. Nelson did not deal in drawn
battles.
The Germans had joyfully appropriated and trumpeted
abroad for the edification of Germany, of neutrals, and
even of the Allies themselves, the admissions of the
British Admiralty as to British losses and its first
statement as to the ascertained losses of the Germans,
modified by a scornful rejection of its suggestion that
the losses not ascertained were serious. Britannia's
ocean throne had been found to rest upon shifting
sands ; her trident was but a broken reed ; as the
Chancellor expressed it with his accustomed happiness
of phrase, " she had been taught that rats can bite ! "
Unmistakably a Britiih Victory
But the British Admiralty continued imperturbably
on the course it had deliberately adopted. Its first
announcement of the actual facts known to it had only
been made to prevent the development of more sinister
rumours ; it would keep back nothing, but i\ would
not announce successes so long as they were matters
of surmise. And thus the note of professed disappoint-
ment was still prevalent when a whole week had passed
since the battle.
Only then was it beginning to be understood that
the battle of Jutland, the biggest naval conflict on
record, had been quite definitely and unmistakably a
British victory in every sense of the term ; a battle
in which the British battle-cruiser squadron had engaged
the whole German Fleet, fought against tremendous
odds, held its own, and only just failed to prevent the
enemy's precipitate flight when the Grand Fleet came
up. The victory was not one of the same annihilating
type as the Nile or Trafalgar or Quiberon, for the simple
reason that the conflict was not one between the main
Fleets — which was undoubtedly a cause of profound
disappointment to Admiral Jellicoe. That was a type
of action which the German Fleet never proposed to
risk, though it had a very narrow escape.
Whatever ulterior objects the High Seas Fleet had
in view, it may be surmised that it came out — being in
lull strength — in the hope that it would meet and
engage the battle-cruiser squadron, more or less annihilate
it, and escape home, metaphorically, festooned with
laurels. In the alternative Beatty might refuse battle,
in which case the British Fleet would have " fled " ;
or, if something more than the battle-cruiser squadron
proved to be about, the way home was clear. The
programme failed, because Sir David provided a fourth
alternative. He did not refuse battle, but he was not
annihilated, and he came near to drawing the High
Seas Fleet into the grip of Sir John Jellicoe.
So far as it is possible to judge the battle was admirably
fought from beginning to end. When the advance
squadron under Von Hipper came in sight of the British
battle-cruisers, Sir David — at the moment in superior
force — at once engaged. Von Hipper retired upon
the main body, having incidentally the good luck to
sink the Queen Mary and the Indefatigable. Sir David,
presently reinforced by four Queen Elizabeths, drew
the fight northward, and was joined first by Admiral
Hood, whose flagship was almost immediately sunk, and
then by Admiral Arbuthnot, of whose cruisers three met
the same fate. Precisely what destruction was wrought
in the enemy fleet remains uncertain, but up to this
point, except at the first moment of contact, the
Germans had been in greatly superior force.
Arrival of the Grand Fleet
Now, when visibility was made .very defective by
an uncertain mist, the Grand Fleet itself appeared and
began to open fire, whereupon the High Seas Fleet took
the only course it had ever intended to take in such
circumstances — since it had not come out to court
annihilation — and made for home at top speed, the
pursuing fleet being unable to overtake it, though an
effective pursuit was carried -&r into the night by the
British destroyers.
Against three British battle-cruisers and three cruisers
were reckoned ultimately the certain loss by the Germans
of two Dreadnoughts, another battleship, a Dreadnought
battle-cruiser, and five light cruisers, while nine destroyers
were definitely accounted for, and another battleship
and battle-cruiser were known to be almost in a sinking
condition. There was good reason to believe this was
far from being a complete tale of the German losses,
but the German Admiralty, which first denied (" for
military reasons "), and then confessed (when conceal-
ment had become impossible), the loss of the Liitzow
is never likely to divulge the truth.
Assuredly if there was cause lor jubilation it lay
with the British. Every quality that Britain attributes
to her Navy had been displayed in the highest degree
by commanders and crews. A victory had been won
which still more decisively established the unqualified
command of the seas, of which it was a complete demon-
stration. Nevertheless, the jubilation was very con-
sciously limited. The losses had been grievous ; and
England would never feel really satisfied with anything
less than another Trafalgar.
Lord Kitchener Drowned
Even at the moment when the public was beginning
to realise something like the truth about the Jutland
battle came grievous tidings such as no man had dreamed
of. Off the Orkneys on Monday night, June 5th, H.M.S.
Hampshire, carrying Lord Kitchener and his staff to
Russia, was " mined or torpedoed," and it was feared
that there were no survivors. Ultimately, out of the
whole crew a dozen, who had succeeded in clinging to a
raft, came to shore alive after all hope had been aban-
doned. The torpedo idea was definitely discarded ;
in the seas which were running on that fatal night no
torpedo practice was possible, even had it been con-
ceivable that a submarine was in these waters. The
Hampshire had undoubtedy been destroyed by a loose
mine. The stormy waves had completed the work,
sweeping every raft and engulfing every boat that had
put off from the doomed vessel.
The heavy seas had compelled her separation from
1821
THE SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN OF 1916
Members of the Volunteer Training Corps on the Downs at Brighton, where generations of our old Volunteers manoeuvred.
the escorting destroyers an hour or two before the
catastrophe. For Kitchener there was to be no burial
" to the noise of the mourning of a mighty nation."
The sea holds him as it holds Francis Drake — the maker
of Great Britain's Army to-day, as the maker of Eng-
land's Navy three hundred years ago. And the nation
mourned in silence that meant more than any pageantry
of grief. For in its heart it knew how mighty a work
had been wrought for England and for the world
by him who now was lying " full many a fathom
deep " beneath the waves that guard the land he loved
so well.
Some dramatic success was daily becoming more and
more necessary to the Central Powers if they were to
maintain among their populations the theory that their
victory was already assured, and that the war was
only being prolonged by the crass stupidity of the
Allies in not confessing themselves beaten. The haste
with which the glorious triumphs of the North Seas
Fleet were announced, with its deliberate suppression
of losses, was proof positive that the All-Highest was
feverishly conscious of the necessity imposed by the
fact that the French armies still stood in front of
Verdun and the British in front of Ypres. But the
belief in the imaginary victory of Jutland could
obviously not be maintained for long, and there could
be no halting in the effort to inflict upon the Allies
in the west some blow which, whether of strategic
importance or not, would appeal at least to German
imaginations.
Fall of Fort Vaux
These efforts met with a degree of success during
the first days of June. West of the Meuse the progress
made was indeed infinitesimal. The French could not
be dislodged from the Mort Homme and Hill 304,
however hard the Germans pressed upon the slopes.
But on the other side the Germans at last came into
possession of the fort of Vaux on the south of Douaumont
when the defences had been annihilated by prolonged
and concentrated bombardment. Vaux, in fact, held
out to the last, when it had become positively untenable.
Such importance as attached to it was due to its value
as an observation-post to the French ; its direct value
to the Germans was small. And in spite of furious
attacks upon Thiaumont to the northward, no further
progress was at first made in this region.
Grand Surprise for Central Powers
On the other hand, the attack on the Ypres salient
where the Canadians held the British line increased in
intensity. Here, along a front of a mile and a hah1, the
Germans succeeded in thrusting forwards to a depth of
seven hundred yards on June 2nd, and though a fierce
counter-attack drove them out again on the next day,
the ruined trenches' could not again be made tenable,
and the position was again relinquished ; but only to
be once more brilliantly recaptured on June I3th by
the Canadians, who this time succeeded in " consoli-
dating " their gains. Here, therefore, there was no
sign that anything of a striking character was imminent.
In the Trentino the Austrians, when they had advanced
their salient so far as to include Arsiero and Asiago, were
apparently brought to a standstill.
The grand surprise was of another sort than that
which the Central Powers desired. And yet it seems
strange that nothing of the kind had been anticipated.
Before the winter was over, Russia had given evidence
of her recuperation by the almost miraculous campaign
which had given her Erzerum in February.
Contrary to her customary reticence, she had been
almost ostentatious in her announcements that her
earlier deficiencies in equipment had been made good.
In the early spring she had made sundry tentative
movements upon both her northern and her southern
European fronts with satisfactory results.
Photograph of a too infrequent scene on which the British Navy was eager to set eyes. Armoured cruisers of the German
High Seas Fleet steaming out to sea. They were an appreciably smaller company after they had met Sir David Beatty's
Battle-Cruiser Squadron on May 31st, 1916.
1822
THE DRAMA OF THE WAR
How a British aeroplane is held in position until
Ready to be off after enemy aircraft somewnere over the Allies' positions. How a British
engine speed is up and the pilot gives the signal to " let go.
Perhaps the Central Powers were lulled into a sense
of security by a belief that those tentative movements
had been the best attempt she could make in the way
of a grand offensive. This much at least is clear, that
the Germans were sure enough of their own satety on
the Front from Riga to the Pripet Marshes to draw upon
it in order to maintain their strength before Verdun
and Ypres ; and the Austrians had been rash enough
to weaken their lines from the Marshes to Czernovitz for
the concentration in the Trentino.
Opening of Great Russian Offensive
The sudden development of Russian activity was
therefore a surprise in every sense of the term. It
was their response to the Austrian move in the Trentino,
the significance of which they realised. A smashing
blow in Volhynia at a favourable moment might
anticipate that simultaneous offensive on east and
west which was supposed to be the allied programme,
but would not necessarily disconcert it, while it
would quite certainly disconcert the Austrians at a
critical hour.
The new campaign opened on June 4th, at the moment
when Austria was thoroughly gripped by the Trentino
venture. There was not the remotest possibility of
reinforcements coming from that quarter where failure
now would almost certainly mean disaster. Hindenburg
would probably attempt a diversion in the north, but it
was improbable, in view of the western situation, that
such a diversion would develop in to an effective menace —
or, on the other hand, that he could risk dispatching
any substantial aid to his ally. Along a front two
hundred miles in length the Russians flung themselves
upon the Austrians, having on the previous day
opened the huge bombardment which was the necessary
preliminary.
The movement in its early development was quite
unlike the German offensives against Ypres or Verdun,
or the German onslaught upon the Russians fourteen
months ago. In each of these cases the obvious inten-
tion was to hurl an overwhelming force upon a narrow
front, drive a wedge clean through at that point, and
cut the enemy armies in two. The aim of every offensive
has been either to turn a flank or — after there were no
flanks exposed — to smash through and envelope. The
smashing through had never yet been attained on any
front. This Russian attack rather conveyed the im-
pression that it was delivered all along the line with the
aim of sweeping back the whole line and securing points
— railway points presumably — for the further develop-
ment of the plan of campaign.
There was no breaking through, but the whole Austrian
line, with its ends standing fast, swayed backwards into
an arc instead of a straight line. But there were bulges
in the arc ; and at the end of a fortnight's fighting it
looked as if the Russians had two objectives in view,
one the railway centre at Lemberg, the other Czernovitz,
where the Austrian Bukovina borders on neutral
Rumania. Czernovitz might mean the turning of the
Austrian flank. But it was still too soon to form a
clear opinion as to what the scheme of the Russian
commander Brussiloff might be. Only this was ap-
parent. Lutsk and Dubno were occupied by the
advancing Russians ; they put the Strypa (on the
northern sector) on their rear instead of on their front ;
they were capturing prisoners at the amazing average
rate of 13,000 daily ; and then came the news that,
after a week's hard fighting, the Russian left wing had
occupied Czernovitz, and the Austrians in that quarter
were in full retreat.
The Capture of Czernovitz
The capture of Czernovitz meant that the whole
Bukovina must shortly be in Russian hands. The
Austrian right was broken up ; it was possible that a
portion of it might be driven off the board into Rumania,
and probable that a substantial section would make
its escape over the Carpathians by way of the Borzo
Pass. In the meanwhile, the Russian right seemed to
have been checked in its advance towards Kovel on
the north, and the centre upon the long line between
Tarnopol and Lemberg was definitely held up. The
situation was gradually becoming clear.
The pace of the first surprise onslaught of the Russians
could not be maintained ; with inadequate communica-
tions the heavy guns could only follow the advance
THE SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN OF 1916
1823
slowly, whereas the enemy had been pushed back upon
his own supports and readier communications. Rein-
forcements— at whatever strain — were being hurried up
to his aid in the centre. But the fact remained that at
the end of three weeks the Russians had taken some
200,000 prisoners, and it was hardly conceivable that
the prisoners could be much more than half of the total
Austrian casualties, which must therefore have amounted
approximately to one half of the entire Austrian force
between the Marshes and Czernovitz.
Objects of the Russian Attack
What would the next development be ? That also
was growing clearer. The Russian attack was to be
concentrated on the wings — towards Kovel on their
right, towards Kolomea on their left, both railway points
of great value for further operations. But more than
that, the capture of either Kovel or Kolomea would
threaten a flank of the Austrian centre ; the capture of
both would threaten its envelopment. On the other
hand, if the Austrians — now, according to rumour, with
Mackensen of the Phalanx commanding them — could
drive through the Russian centre, weakened to strengthen
the wings, there would be something like the turning of
the tables.
Of this, however, there was little apparent prospect,
though in the centre it was now the Russians rather
than their foes who were on the whole giving ground.
Northward, the struggle towards Kovel showed no signs
of immediate decision ; it was hard to say whether the
thrusting forward of a Russian wedge was to be accounted
as a menace to Kovel or as the creation of a dangerous
salient. But southward there was no doubt whatever
that all was going in favour of the Russians ; and the
menace to the right flank of the Austrian centre mate-
rialised very thoroughly with the capture of Kolomea,
announced to the world on July ist.
Other developments, too, were in progress in the
Eastern regions. From Asia Minor and Mesopotamia
there came little enough news ; but the troubles of the
Turks were not lightened by the revolt of the Sherif of
Mecca— virtually a repudiation of the Ottoman Caliphate
(which began four hundred years ago), by the man in
whose hands are the Holy Places of Islam. The possible
effect on the Mohammedan world was not easily
measurable. And at the same time the relation's
between the Greek Government and the Entente
Powers reached such a point of strain that the
situation had become intolerable. Virtually, if not
technically, an ultimatum was delivered which resulted
in the immediate resignation oi King Constantino's
Cabinet and the formation of a new Ministry, with
M. Zaimis at its head, which submitted to all the demands
put forward by the Allies.
Cadorna Forces Back the Austrians
If the operations of the Russians during June were
sensational, those of the Italians in the Trentino were,
to say the least, reassuring. The Austrians, over-
confident of their own strength or of Russia's weakness
in Volhynia, had effected a powerful concentration in
order to achieve a decision on the Trentino front — a
thrust down from the mountains into the Lombardy
Plain which might have been a knock-out blow for the
Italians. It had indeed aroused the gravest anxiety
among the Allies, tempered, however, by a confidence
in the foresight and skill of General Cadorna which was
to be fully justified.
The Italian centre had been driven back to the
mountain rim ; but the wings had held fast. Early in
June the Austrian advance had been held up. The
Italian reinforcements, which had silently been held in
readiness, were poured up to the fighting line ; the
counter-attack was launched. Doubtfully at first, then
quite unmistakably, the Austrians began to yield the
ground they had won at heavy cost by six weeks of
The " invasion " of England. Some of the Prussian Quard after leaving the boat at Southampton en route for an internment camp
In the North of England. They were interested in the trophies of the Crimean War, which are a feature of the sea front.
IS'.' I
THE DRAMA OF THE WAR
desperate effort. The slow yielding became almost a
precipitate retreat; perhaps the qualifying word is
superfluous. Neither retirement nor pursuit in the
mountains could be otherwise than slow, but by the
end of the month the Austrians were practically back
on the lines from which they had started on their rash
adventure. They had left behind them sinister proofs
of an earnest effort to emulate the practices and illustrate
the principles of warfare on the Frufsian model.
If matters were going ill
for the Central Empires on
the Russian and Italian
fronts, it was all the more
imperative — from the
political point of view, at
least — that they should
achieve something on th?
western Front. Not a
" decision " — that had been
clearly out of reach at
least since the early days
of April — but something
which could at least be
advertised as a trium-
phant blow. Their own
strategy and the French
reply had bound them
irrevocably to the Verdun
adventure. There lay their
one chance, such as it was,
and there they again
hurled forward to the
attack with desperate fury.
At no other point was it
possible for them to un-
dertake a concentrated
offensive, and they could
not afford to acknowledge
that the time had come
when a stubborn defensive
all along the line had been
imposed upon them.
Renewed Attack on Verdun
And the renewed on-
slaught was terrific enough
to give them encourage-
ment and to shake all but
the steadiest nerves among
the spectators of the allied
group. Although on the
west of the Meuse they
still made no progress, the
struggle of the Douau-
mont Plateau became ex-
ceedingly threatening. On
June 23rd, in spite of a
desperate resistance, they
had broken into the Thiau-
mont Work ; and they
followed this up by an
advance into the village
of Fleury, only some three
miles from Verdun itself.
Nor could any amount
of insistence upon the
strategical unimportance
of Verdun dissipate the
feeling that if the Germans
succeeded in entering
it, a very heavy blow
would be dealt to the cause of the Allies.
But the Germans were not in Verdun. The losses on
both sides in the struggle were immense ; a gain of
ground had been made more appreciable than any since
the first week of the great attack four months earlier.
But the French defence remained unbroken, and on
July ist they had again driven the Germans out of the
Thiaumont Work. Whether they could -hold it them-
selves was another matter ; but the fact itself was
French soldiers fixing an aerial torpedo to be fired against hostile
aircraft. Note the wings, which assist in the projectile's flight.
significant of the desperate character of the task which
the Germans had set themselves.
What was the meaning of this furious conflict ? Why,
if Verdun was of minor strategic importance, did the
French Command maintain this heroic and costly
resistance ? They knew that the Germans were wrong
in believing that the morale of Frenchmen would collapse
if the enemy got into Verdun. But they also knew that
till the Germans reached Verdun they must go on
straining their resources to
the utmost in order to
get there, but that once
they were there their
energies would be liberated
upon other quarters — and
they were not to be
liberated.
Battle of the Somme Starts
There were signs for
those who could read.
There were uninstructed
wailings that the British
had been doing nothing —
nothing but making ready,
worrying the German lines,
keeping up a perpetual
harassing menace, drawing
to their own front every
enemy unit that could b;
spared for local accumula-
tion ; nothing but just the
precise thing which the
allied command required
of them — until the
time should come. Doing
" nothing " incidentally in-
volved heroic episodes such
as that of the Canadians
at Zillebeke.
Also we were allowed to
learn that it was coming
to mean the accomplish-
ment of innumerable patrol
raids upon the enemy
trenches — whereof the true
import was that the British
were collecting a va.it
amount of accurate infor-
mation as TO the strength
of the enemy at various
positions all along the line,
and were doing so at
small cost. The men from
every part of the Empire
were taking their turns —
Anzacs, Highland Light
Infantry, Welsh Fusiliers,
Royal Irish Rifles, Cana-
dians, Warwickshires, is
a list of names drawn at
haphazard from those men-
tioned from day to day,
but popular report attri-
buted to the Anzacs the
credit of inaugurating the
new method.
And along with the
tales of the patrol raids,
came the casual mention
of " considerable artillery
activity on several sectors," occasionally developing
as " heavy bombardment," and then " continuous
bombardment."
And then on July ist : " Attack launched north of
River Somme this morning at 7.30 a.m. in conjunction
with French. British troops have broken into German
forward system of defences on front of sixteen miles.
Fighting is continuing."
The Battle of the Somme had begun.
1825
Tramp, tramp, tramp, the lads go by in the dark.
Dim and shadowy shapes, to the lilt of a whistled air.
Light of heart and of step they go to the fight — and hark!
A careless jest and the laugh of a mind that is free from care
It is the hymn of France, a song with a martial swing
That rises slirill and clear o'er the terrible thunders afar.
Telling of comrades in arms and the timely aid that they bring.
Of brave hearts ranged by her side in the tumult and stress
of her war.
0 Frti nee. does thy bosom throb to the pulse of that measured I eat
As the ghostly marching ranks swing past on their glorious
quest ?
Surely thy soil must thrill to the tread of the conquering feet.
Knowing of those that must sleep their last long sleep in
thy breast I — CLAUDE E. BURTON.
With the Flag in France
and Flanders
The jubilant sentry : German prisoners under guard after the British Advance, July, 1916.
1826
The War ITTustrat
THE WESTERN ARENA.— Map indicating the region of the British offensive. From Arras to the Somme Britain's batteries
roared and British infantry went forward. Ths advance began on July 1st, 1916, after a concentrated artillery effort.
1827
The Great Push! France Salutes the Ally
Not «ven at home was the great British offensive hailed with
more Joy and enthusiasm than it was in France. For months
our splendid ally had patiently awaited the moment when
Britain would be prepared to go forward and relieve the tension.
On the morning of July 1st, 1916, the French seemed to know
instinctively that the hcur had struck, and many a wai — wcrn
" Poilu " of the earliest class raised a hand to his helmet in
saluting his ally with the words" Bonne chance, mon camarade I "
1828
Guns that Pounded German Trenches to Powder
The Great Push. — British gunners ramming home the shell
of a heavy gun on a railway mounting.
_ne of the British heavy guns in action against the German line* On
ment bv our aniil.ru lines. On July 1st, 1916, after five days' intense bombard-
tTe Somm. Inset A comT 3fen81v8 wa" launched on a front of about twenty-five miles north and on both bank, of
complimentary message ready to be sent to Fritz. (Official photographs. Crown copyright reserved.)
1829
After Victory : German Soldiers in Captivity
Evidence of the victory. Column of German
prisoners resting by the roadside, behind the British
lines, awaiting to be sent to an internment camp.
soldiers taken prisoners during the
British offensive of July, 1916, were unani-
mous as to the terrible work of the British
artillery.
The continuous bombardment rendered the
German first line untenable, and many of those
who escaped death from shell fire were so dazed
as to be unable to defend themselves when the
British infantrv stormed their trenches
Party ot German prisoners, many o» whom were slightly wounded, marching along a French road in charge of a British
uuard. Inset: A ration party photographed after they had "done their bit" in the great offensive. (Official photographs.)
1830
1831
Splendid British Charge at La Boisselle
Wonderful photograph of British troop-) charging over No Man's Land to the attack at La Boisselle. A hugs shell has burst to the
right of the soldiers, throwing two of ths forms into strong silhouette. The barbed-wire having been swept aside, these splendid
Scots were soon afterwards in ths German firing line.
Appearance of a modern battlefield. A mine has been sprung in the foreground, and it is difficult to realise that but a few
before this barren spot was teeming with life and activity. Nothing remains now but calcined debris. All life is obliterated
~cers contemplating the scene and the R.A.M.C. orderlies at their humane work in the background.
for some British office
is difficult to realise that but a few hours
All life is obliterated save
1832
To The Fighting Line via Marseilles: Scottish
A contingent of British troops disembarked at Marseilles on May 8th, 1916, among whom were a
number of Scottish soldiers, who marched to the music of the nines.
Some of the Indian warriors who arrived at M
band" 'the n-fw "rT,1"68 to<>*thBr with the S«t. and Australians. The centre photograph shows th<
a of the new allied troops who were to aid in the deliverance of France.
1833
\ustralian and Indian Troops Enter France
Australian, marching down the main boulevard of Marseilles. They were accorded a great welcome,
and each man was presented with a bouquet of flowers
Scene, of great enthu.ia.m on the
,rt of the French populace were witnessed In the Avenue du Prado as the Scottish, Australian, and
dian contingent pas.ed through the city on their *ay to the front.
1834
Royal Welsh Fusiliers Along the Somme
A heap of trench -mortar ammunition behind the lines ready
for transport to the firing front.
First-aid for heroes of the Somme. Looking after the
wounded in the trenches during the gr
^_i
_ Royal Welsh Fusiliers in bivouac. On July 6th, 1916, these gallant fighters made a successful raid
lerman trenches south of the La Bassee Canai. Inset: The East Yorks on the march through a French village
to the front line. (Official photographs.)
1835
Great Leaders in History's Greatest Crisis
M. Briand, the French Prime Minister, phutographed during his
tour of the British lines with Sir Douglas Haig and some ol
his Staff.
The great British offensive of July 1st, 1916, was carried out simultaneously with that of the French forward movement. General
Haig in here seen greeting General Joffre at the British Headquarters. Inset: Characteristic snapshot of the British Generalissimo.
1830
Before and After the Moment of the Advance
Anzacs on the western front bringing up a water-cart, a task
they would have gladly welcomed in sun-baked Qallipolt.
War-time fashions. Group of British soldiers wearing another
new type of headgear, light and soft for summer campaigning.
Fhe irrepressible British Tommy. Chalking shells with
complimentary messages for Fritz.
comfortable rest in the trenches when " things were quiet.
1837
Pardon, Kamerad! An Incident at Montauban
1838
BATTLE PICTURES OF THE GREAT WAR
The Glorious First of July
By EDWARD WRIGHT
ON Midsummer Day, 1916, the result of the labours of
our myriads of munition workers was displayed to
the enemy. A line of flame and thunder stretched
for ninety miles from Ypres to the Somme River. The
German commanders hurried up reserves to meet the
coming shock of our infantry attack. But no attack was
delivered. Day and night the crashing line of fire was
maintained. In sunlight the German trenches were veiled
in a fog of bursting shells. By starlight French towns-
people, thirty miles away, sat in darkness on their roofs,
watching with grim joy the strange long rim of roaring
radiance on their eastern sky-line.
Nothing like our bombardment has been seen in any
field of the European War. The front of flame was longer
than that which the Germans had produced at Gorlice and
Verdun, and it lasted longer. It was the first grand
triumph of the workers in our munition factories. Our
country was using shells by the million, and wearing out
guns by the thousand, in order to save the lives of our
soldiers. At times the French armies from the Somme to
Rheims joined in the unparalleled bombardment, making
the line of flame one hundred and eighty miles long.
Triumph of Organisation
Sir Douglas Haig, sitting with his Staff near his central
telephone exchange, was using tens of thousands of motor-
lorries in the way a skilful fencer uses his rapier. By
continually changing the sector at which the main shell
supply was delivered, he varied the spear-head of his
bombarding force. Our airmen attacked the German
balloons and aeroplanes, thus blinding the enemy's aerial
observers, until at last our shell supplies could come up
in daylight as well as in darkness, without the enemy
knowing what part of his force would next be swept with
extreme intensity by our heavy artillery. Our guns were
also able to concentrate and reconcentrate along our front
of ninety miles, leaving the enemy ignorant of the new
direction in which they were massing.
Never has an army worked as ours then worked in
sustaining for a week the thunderous flame of our grand
bombardment and the continual clouds of our asphyxiating
gas. No longer were we weakly replying to German gas
attacks with mild, innocuous, intoxicating fumes. We
were giving the Germans, who had tortured us with chlorine
gas, a new gas of our own that took them by surprise.
As our infantry raids on the hostile lines increased in
number, our men were able to see heaps oi gassed, dead
figures in the opposing trenches on the very days when the
German communiques said that our clouds of poison had
floated harmlessly over the German lines.
The German Stall Deceived
Meanwhile, the German Staff had to decide where to
mass its best troops — the Prussian Guard and its
main reserve. Sir Douglas Haig, by a violent demonstra-
tion near the Somme River on June zyth, seems to have
misled the Germans. For it afterwards appeared that
they thought this British move was a feint, and that our
mam attack would be delivered between Albert and La
Bassee, with Arras as the centre of our breaking movement.
The Prussian Guard was placed north of Albert, near the
hamlet of Gommecourt, and the main stream of German
shell was directed towards the batteries round Arras.
But on Thursday and Friday, June 2gth and 3oth, our
troops round Arras had an easy time of it compared with
the labour that fell upon the men holding the line just
north of the Somme. Here were a Territorial Division, an
Ulster Division, Tynesick-rs, .Manchester men, Scotsmen,
and English county battalions, who came up to make the
attack, and worked first to supply the guns. For forty-
eight hours they slept only by snatches, amid the unending
thunder that disturbed the atmosphere and produced a
great downfall of rain. The mud added to the difficulties
of maintaining the flow of ammunition between the columns
of motor-trucks and the batteries ; but, in spite of alt
troubles, our bombardment, gas attacks, and raids continued.
Then, at six o'clock on Saturday morning, July ist,
1916, Sir Douglas Haig revealed his' long-prepared plan of
attack, and showed the Germans that he had outplayed
them. Our great bombardment had been a bluff. On our
southern wing, by the Somme, was one of the finest armies
of France, under one of the finest French commanders,
General Foch. Foch had been remarkably quiet during
our week of hurricane fire. Instead of knocking the
enemy's trenches about as he could have done, he had lent
us some of his quick-firers, in order to increase the volume
of our fire, and make it seem that France was so exhausted
by the long defence of Verdun that she had to leave the
great answering, offensive movement entirely to Britain.
General Foch Surprises the Enemy
But on the glorious First of July, when our army of the
Somme sent out its last smashing tornado of shells, the
army of General F'och spoke even louder than ours did, ai;d
with thousands of siege-guns abruptly flattened the enemy's
trenches on a sector of some eight miles. For an hour
and a half the morning mist, half veiling the downland
country between Peronne and Baupaume, was thickened
by the smoke of half a million or more high-explosive
shells. Then, at half-past seven, nothing could be seen
from the great chalk ridges where the German observing
officers, sheltering in deep caverns in the chalk, peered
through their periscopes. The British and French armies
sent out huge, rolling masses of black smoke that blanketed
all the front and screened the rows of brown and blue
figures that were moving on the German lines.
The general movement of the Allies extended for some
thirty miles, irom Foncquevillers, about twelve miles south-
west of Arras, to Foucaucourt, about seven miles south-
west of Peronne. A considerable part of this genera)
movement was designed to hold the Prussian Guard and
the main reserve under Prince Rupert of Bavaria. The
German armies were arranged somewhat like those of the
Allies. The strongest force, under Rupert of Bavaria,
faced the British lines as far as Thiepval. Then southward,
from the Somme sector to the Oise River, mainly facing
the French, was the Sixth German Army, which had fought
at Charleroi under General von Biilow, and was now com-
manded by General von Einem. It was against Einem
that our main attack was directed. We had arranged to
assail his northern wing at its point of junction with the
army of Rupert of Bavaria, while the French force under
General Foch drove .unexpectedly in upon Eincm's centre
of communications at Peronne. Meanwhile, it was vitally
essential that Einem should be stopped from getting help
from his immediate neighbour, Rupert of Bavaria. The
Prussian Guard at Gommecourt, for instance, was only
twenty-four miles away from Peronne, with a light railway
service connecting them with Eincm's northern wing.
Therefore, they had to be violently held in the position
to which they had been lured by our long, deceptive
bombardment.
Rupert's Men in Readiness
The necessity for this holding action against Prince
Rupert's forces gave occasion for one of the finest examples
of indomitable tenacity in British history. All Rupert's
men were prepared for our attack. They apparently knew
it would take place on July ist, and they certainly divined
that the Gommecourt salient, above Albert — the western-
most point in France held by the enemy — would be a
critical position. When our bombardment opened at six
o'clock on Saturday morning all the German troops retired
to dug-outs twenty to thirty feet below the trenches.
Then, at half-past seven, when our guns lifted on the
enemy's second line, the Germans came out of their lowest
cellars in the chalk, bringing their machine-guns with them,
and entered a series of upper dug-outs, which had loopholes
almost on the surface of the ground. [Continued an page 1840
1839
Wiltshires and East Yorks in the Forward Move
Wiltshire yeomen, high-spirited soldiers from the historic English county, on their way to gather laurels in the momentous fields
of Flanders. Brandishing their steel helmets with a loud hurrah, these men were truly glad to be on the move.
The Sleep of the Brave. British reserves resting in the trenches. So tired were they after a long march that they did not even trouble
to remove their steel helmets.
rvien ot Ihe East Yorka passing along a French village street to the zone of operations. Heavily equipped, smothered in dust from head
to foot, these men were typical of thousands going forward in the cause of Albion and Liberty.
1840
BATTLE PICTURES OF THE WAR (c°^"^r
They began to fire through these loopholes when our
fcrecn oi black smoke went up, and they continued to
fire throughout the first phase oi the action. They did
not at first take any aim — our smoke screen prevented
that — but their machine-gun positions were so arranged
that a mechanical and continuous shower oi bullets swept
all the zone between the opposing fronts and pattered
against our sand-bags. The German system of defence
was an extraordinary piece of engineering. The machine-
gunners could not be reached by our shells, and, being
provided with gas helmets, they could not be killed by
our gas attacks.
At the same time as the German machine-guns opened
fire the German artillery flung a storm of shrapnel over
our front trenches. Around Gommecourt were three
curtains of intense shrapnel fire between our men and
their goal. For here it was that the Germans had con-
centrated their main mass of guns. Yet the British troops
came out steadily under the awful rain of death, raised
their own machine-guns on the parapet, and then, dropping
in hundreds, but never wavering, made their way across
a zone of five hundred yards to the enemy's front line.
Devilish Machine-Gunners
The Prussian Guard also came with' its machine-guns
through our curtain of fire, and fought with great courage
in the open No Man's Land between the wooded promontory
of Gommecourt and our positions round Hebuterne. In
the end our men were defeated, because they had not
behind them the enormous weight of artillery the Germans
had. But this local defeat won the general battle for
us. All the forces of the Crown Prince of Bavaria were
held down at the appointed place, with the result that
General von Einem could not obtain any reinforcements
and suffered, not a local defeat, but a far-reaching disaster.
South of Gommecourt, between the Hill of Serre, the
valley of the Ancre, and the ridge of Thiepval, our troops
were at first amazingly successful. In a series of charges,
as heroic as that made by the Scottish Division at Lens,
our men took the German trenches, and then bombed
their way into Serre and Thiepval, reaching the third and
last line of German works. Some battalions had no
casualties whatever in the rush against the German first
line, but we did not allow for the remarkable intrepidity
of some of the German machine-gunners. These men we're
devilish in spirit when our wounded lay at their mercy
and tried to creep to shelter.
Einem Calls Reserves from Verdun
At Serre and Thiepval they let our charging lines pass
them, and then came out of their dug-outs, swept our rear,
and knocked down our parties who were bringing up bombs
for the troops ahead in the German third line. One German
gunner was found wounded in nine places and still
fighting like a dervish of the Sudan. Little more than
a score of these determined men, working behind our
victorious line, succeeded in stopping ammunition reaching
our troops at Serre and Thiepval. They thus compelled
our men to retire when the Crown Prince of Bavaria, about
midday on Saturday, flung his reserve against the two
points on his wing that were so near to breaking. Yet
the actions at Thiepval and Serre completed the design
of the terrible action at Gommecourt, and extended Rupert's
army to its full strength. Our troops hung on for four
days to the south of Thiepval, where they repulsed the
German Guard and all the other reserves of Prince Rupert.
He could not spare a single battalion for Einem. So
Einem had slowly to gather reinforcements from Rheims
and Verdun in order to meet the main allied attack. And
Einem could not do this in time.
For in our main assault our success was swift and com-
plete. We aimed at the great German salient built on
a ridge overlooking our position at Albert, and known as
the Fricourt salient from a village lying at the point of
it. The main strength of the position, however, resided
in a great fortified chalk ridge, some five miles long,
extending from the hamlet of Boisselle to the village
and brickfield of Montauban. The hamlet of Mametz
rose on the southern slope of the ridge.
The Pincers Round Fricourt
We did not make an immense, surging charge all round
the great salient, but delivered two great thrusts. Fricourt
was not attacked, but the line on either side of it was
broken in two places about two and a half miles from
each other. The Gordons advanced against Mametz, and,
though raked horribly by machine-gun fire, stormed the
position ?nd held it. Then some miles away on their
right the men of Lancashire, supported by the Surreys,
Rents, Essex, Bedfords, and Noriolks, carried the main
ridge at Montauban in one strong, narrow stream of invasion.
At the other end of the ridge, by Boisselle, the Suffolks
and the Tynesiders, with the Tyneside pipers playing
on their men, swept by the northerly German hill
fortress and advanced well beyond the salient to the
village of Contalmaison. The Suffolks reached this
village at the price of only one man killed, but again
the German machine-gunners in our rear near Boisselle
checked our advance for the time being.
The Measure of Success in Four Days
The fact was our wonderful troops did more than had
been expected of them. Fricourt was left untouched for
two days, as we had made larger gains on either side of
it than had been designed. Our principal attention was
directed towards smashing up the reinforcements that
Einem hurried towards the high ground on the ridge.
There we broke brigade after brigade, leaving Fricourt
open like a trap for more Germans to enter. But we
joined our two wedges round Fricourt on Sunday afternoon,
stormed Boisselle the next day, and then resuming our
onward progress advanced some miles eastward along the
road to Combles.
So tremendous was the pressure with which we pushed
back Einem's northern wing that General Foch's army,
in four days of sledge-hammer work, took the plateau
south of the Somme, dominated Peronne, hauled up the
great French siege-guns, and brought Einem's northern
railway and motor communications beneath a heavy
incessant shell fire. In other wprds, Haig's and Foch's
armies did as much in four days' fighting to threaten the
German routes of supply at Peronne as the Germans had
done in five months' fighting to threaten the French routes
of supply at Verdun
The skeleton village of Zillebeke. Curious effect of shell flre on houses and trees. The tiles have been shaken from the
Is purely by vibration of shells passing and bursting in the vicinity. (Canadian Government copyright reserved.!
By permission o/C,ro. Pnltnan F~ Sons, /.t<f. Photo by J. Russell fr So
VICE-ADMIRAL SIR DAVID BEATTY, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., D.S.O.
In Command of the Battle Cruiser Fleet
7" /',i,, f<ii,-r 1840.
1841
Prisoners from Contalmaison and Boisselle
Qorman prisoners arriving from Contalmaison. Many of them,
particularly the wounded ones, are proceeding to the rear via
the trench, thus to be out of danger from shell fire. Of the three
figures in the foreground, one is severely wounded.
Brothers in adversity cling together. Scene on the footpath to La Boisselle, showing German prisoners trudging along, some carrying
their helpless comrades. Inset : British soldier gives a wounded German water from his flask. (Official photographs.)
D6, D 5
1842
Calling the Roll After the Dawn of Victory
Loading ammunition into the waggons for the great advance.
The heaps of empty cases and boxes tell their own story.
The roll-call of the gallant Seaforths after the first
Lady Butler's famous picture of a former campaign Inset". BH" • ™8 :fmarkfbl>' Pathetic photograph is reminiscent of
et . Bringing in a " casualty " on a newly-designed stretcher.
1843
Recurrence of Red Cross Treachery at Thiepval
According to the report of an eye-witness therewas at least one
recurrence of Prussian Red Cross treachery during the British
advance. In the course of desperate fighting near Thiepval a
German soldier showed himself above a shattered parapet,
violently waving a Red Cross flag. He was permitted to approach,
and was seen to lift something back into the trench. Immediately
after a machine— gun began its deadly work. The burden of the
Prussian was neither a wounded nor dead comrade, but a Maxim.
1844
1845
The Deathless Story of Gommecourt Wood
Perhaps the most glorious epic of the great advance which
began on July 1st, 1918, la the undying story of Qommecourt, at
the northern end of the British attacking line. An attempt to
capture the Qommecourt Wood drew from the German guns
a triple barrage fire. Nevertheless, the British went forward
as though on parade. Men were struck down at every step, but
many succeeded in getting through the three curtains of death,
only to be confronted by a number of machine-guns. Owing to
their heroism, which diverted the German forces, these troops
greatly helped to achieve the victory farther south.
1846
1847
The 'Fighting Fifth' Scores Again at St. Eloi
Fun and frolic altar victory at St. Eloi. Northumberland Fusiliers, or the famous " Fighting Fifth," trying on German
helmets and respirators captured from the enemy In the attack on St. Eloi, March 27th, 1916.
Happy In captivity. Types of German infantry taken prisoners in the St. Eloi fighting. The foremost of them is wearing
the steel helmet which was used universally by the belligerents.
1848
True Tales of the War by Famous Correspondents
A Night Affair on the Western Front
How British Daring Foiled a German Surprise
By H. F. PREVOST BATTERSBY
Mr. H F. PREVOST BATTERSIJY
MR. H. F. PREVOST BATTERSBY, the brilliant war correspondent
of the "Morning Post," was educated for the Army at Woolwich and at
Sandhurst, whence he passed to a commission in the Royal Irish Rifles. He
represented his paper throughout the South African War (being twice
wounded) and in Somaliland, and in the Great War in Flanders, where he was
wounded in 1916. Under his pen name of "Francis Prevost " he has published
two volumes of poetry, works on hockey — in which game he played for the South
against the North on five occasions — and many novels. Author, traveller,
big-game hunter, and all-round sportsman, Mr. Prevost Battersby has enjoyed
a varied career. His identity with the brilliant novelist "Francis Prevost " must
tidt lead our readers to suppose that this present story is a piece of fiction ; it
is cast in fictional form because that helps to bring the thrilling adventure
before the mind with more vivid actuality, but it is really a narration of fact.
HENRY ALTON looked at his colonel with a certain
mild surprise. None of his surprises were ever
more than that.
" Yes," said his C.O. " It is, as I told you, rather off
the usual line, but the Chief sees no other way of doing it.
He doesn't want to waste the men on a raid, and besides,
you know how little one learns from them of what the
Boche is up to."
Briefly, the job was to discover what in the way of
mining the enemy was doing. Along this stretch of the
front mining on both sides was the chief amusement.
Very little, so far, had actually come of it, but nothing is
more trying to the steadiness of men who have much else
to try them than the muffled tick, tick of a hostile pick
at some unknown depth beneath them, with the certainty
at no distant date of being dismembered in the air or
buried alive under the debris of one's own parapet.
Alton was therefore asked to discover where the mine
shafts started in the German lines, and the direction they
took. How he was to do that, no one, including himself,
had the least idea. He was not a soldier by profession,
having been, till past thirty, a bank clerk in a Midland
town, and, having a wife and child and no money, had
tried for as long as he could to think that Britain could
do without him. He had enlisted, but found himself after
five months' service a first lieutenant. He was the sort
of man men trust, and having captained a famous football
team, knew how to handle them.
To go with him on this occasion he chose a small, quick-
witted Cockney of his own company, called Smith, on the
strength of his ability to think quicker and go through
smaller gaps than himself.
The thing had, of course, to be done at night, and they
waited at the sally-port — a dignified name for the little
tunnel that burrowed under the parapet and out beyond
the barbed-wire — for enough darkness to conceal their
movements. They each had revolvers, which they did
not mean to use, and, fastened by a loop to their right
wrists, the handle of an entrenching tool, up to the top of
which had been slipped a cogged circlet of iron, guaranteed
to crush the hardest of Square-head skulls.
Rain and an 111 Wind
Grey blankets were draped like Crusaders' cloaks from
their shoulders, to mask their outlines when they had to
flatten themselves against the ground to cheat the German
flares. There was the usual dreary drizzle of rain, that
smeared the sides of the trenches with slime, and made
the bottom boards slippery as an ice-slide. The rain was
all to the good ; the soft drift of it would dull as much of
the sentry's ears as it had not hunted under his coat collar,
but the wind that brought it was the wrong way, west by
south, carrying sounds to the enemy.
The man who was thrust into such an enterprise was
talcing his life in his hands, in his finger-tips one might sav
so insecure was the holding ; but where that is done by
so many, it loses all its picturesqueness. There was no
" warm grip of a hand " to speed him on his way. There
was no warmth anywhere a yard away from the braziers
that chilly night. A certain length of the front line had
to be warned of his adventure, so that he should not be
fired on going and returning, otherwise no one would have
paid any particular heed to him. He did not expect thera
to. He had seen men, shaving by a periscope mirror, just
crook their bodies forward to make room for a casualty
carried away in a blanket, without troubling to look to
see if it was one of their pals. He did not even know the
subaltern who gave him a careless nod of farewell at the
sally-port. He had been away on a week's leave, and
there were a lot of new faces. That was the way of the
Army, always renewing itself like a tree ; old leaves fell,
new ones sprouted ; the tree remained.
Flares and Rifle Shots
Clear of the slimy little tunnel, he looked carefully
about him, only his head raised. Here and there the
quick crack of a rifle told of vigilant or nervous eyes strained
across that uninhabitable country into which he was come,
and flares, like flowers of white flame opening in the air,
were beginning to outline the battle frontier for leagues
on either hand.
His idea was to find some unseen way into the
German trenches. He had really only a hazy idea of
what he expected. He would crawl along the entangle-
ments, hoping that, in the glare of the Very lights, some
dark port of entry might reveal itself. Then, if he could
get into the trench, he would have to grope about among
its defenders — who were fortunately known to be few —
till he found what might pass for a mine-shaft. It all
seemed very vague and unpromising ; but other men had
done it.
He crawled along in the rain, the Cockney youth behind
him, the blankets trailing over their backs, all the front
of their bodies from their chins to their toes soaked from
being pressed for concealment at every flare-burst into
the soggy ground. As they crawled, even with outspread
palms, their arms sank to the elbows and the slush closed
over their knees. The rain dulled their hearing, but once,
when stopping to listen, they were aware of whispering
voices. They flattened themselves into the mud at once,
and Alton, his hands cupped over his wet ears, could
make out the speech to be German. The trenches here
were far enough apart for night patrols to be used,
and when they met, fierce, stabbing, throttling fights
ended in one or other being finished off in silence.
While wondering if he dared make such a fight for it,
there was a soft rush in the air above them, and, before
the flare burst, the mud quaked with the precipitation into
it of the German patrol, too big a one obviously for two
men to tackle 'Continued mi pane l.°5r>
1849
Allied Action with Bayonet, Bomb and Mine
This is one of the most thrilling photographs ever taken from a first-line British trench. It depicts our infantry dashing
forward to attack a German trench with the bayonet after throwing smoke-bombs, and so forming a covering wh te cloud.
Inside a captured mine crater, giving a graphic idea of the amount of earth displaced by the explosion of a land
Directly a crater is occupied by the infantry and cleared of the debris of battle, it is fortified and transformed
strong trench, while sappers commence fresh mining operations, as shown in this photograph
mine.
Into »
1850
A NIGHT AFFAIR ON THE WESTERN FRONT
iCont inued from page 1S48.I
The Germans lay grunting and muttering for several
minutes, only a few yards away; then crept on cautiously
towards the British lines, one of them actually stumbling
over Smith's foot, which he took, no doubt, for one of the
many that would never move again from that country.
About thirty yards farther on, while still crawling,
Alton felt the ground give way under his arms ; the grass
at which he grabbed proved to be lying loose about him,
and his body slid forward till all of it had disappeared
except one boot, to which his follower clung with a faithful
pertinacity that almost foiled Alton's apoplectic efforts
to free it.
The Secret Passage
He had fallen into what proved to be the end of a tunnel
about four feet deep. Canvas had been laid across the
opening, and strewn with grass and earth. The tunnel
led towards the German lines, but could hardly be a mine-
shaft, and was needlessly long for a sally-port.
Alton paused. The chances of his coming out of that
burrow alive, if he went into it, were, he knew, small ; but
he was there for just the chance it offered, so, whispering
to his companion to wait for him for a couple of hours
before returning, he unstrapped the blanket from his
shoulders, felt along the lanyard to the handle of his
revolver, took a firmer grip of his knobkerrie, and began
to grope his way with lowered shoulders through the gluey
slush which clung half way to his knees. He listened
after each thrust into it of his clotted feet, and heard
presently above the queer conch-like hum of the tunnel
the drip of water. Caution, bred of the sound, and the
swift thrust of his head against the roofing, saved him
from mishap a moment later when his foot suddenly trod
upon air. There was plainly some sort of a drainage hole
in front of him, and after much wary balancing between
the slimy walls he managed to bridge it with his long legs
and again crept forward.
Ten yards farther on — they took him as many minutes —
he heard a grunting which seemed to be human. The
sound came nearer, but, while it still appeared to him some
little way off, a heavy body lurched against him. He struck
as he lost his balance, and buried his knobkerrie in the
oozy wall. There was a splutter of Teutonic gutturals
before he struck again, hitting this time a solid that was
not mud. Something heavy fell forward against his
stomach, and he felt fiercely for it with his hands, making
out with desperate swiftness a man's head and shoulders,
and fixing his fingers into the neck. There was no resist-
ance, and, with the swift instinct that danger quickens,
he crushed the thing in his hands down into the mud and
held it there for a long two minutes. Then he felt for the
rest of the body, and, pressing it down to the side out of
his way, went on. He was not conscious of being upset,
but had to stop because he was trembling. Killing a man
in that dark, secretive fashion seemed somehow more
like murder than war. A little farther on he thought his
nerves were playing tricks, for he began to see something
red that came and went in that subterranean blackness.
It was a long time before he made it out to be the glow of
a brazier near the end of the tunnel, and figures passing to
and fro in front of it. He moved nearer, cautiously, and
caught the murmur of voices. Nearer still, and he could
hear what they said, and discriminate between shapes and
shadows against the parados. He propped his back on
the side of the tunnel and listened. The talk was spas-
modic— the mere trench personalities that he knew so well.
He waited half an hour, chilled to the marrow, biting his
fingers to keep the blood in them. Then they began to
talk of to-morrow. He knew German well, but not well
enough to make out all they said ; but it was clear that
there was going to be some sort of sally the next day, and the
outlet they were guarding had something to say to it. Then
he tumbled quite suddenly to the meaning of that long tunnel.
By it, and others like it, the Bodies were going after
dark to get out into No Man's .Land, close up to our wire,
waiting there for their guns to demolish the parapet,
knowing that when our guns replied they would be laid
wholly ineffectively to prevent a raid on their own empty
trenches.
It was quite a new move in the game, and new moves
paid ; and the knowledge of it was much more important
to his own people than any news of mine-shafts. As he
turned stiffly to go, something was being hauled into the
mouth of the tunnel, a machine-gun, perhaps. That gave
a better chance to his stiffened joints to carry him out of
danger. As he blundered along on them he fell over the
dead German. Obviously he could not be left there, yet
to drag him through that mud out of the tunnel was not to
be thought of. Then Alton remembered the drainage pit.
By an immense effort he pulled the body forward, and
thrust it down into the hole, hearing with great relief
the slime slushing down on top of it. Then suddenly a beam
of light flashed past him. The men carrying the gun were
using an electric torch. They saw him, but probably taking
him for the comrade of whose corpse he had just disposed,
only grunted something at him. He was soaked with sweat
when he reached the entrance, and got a grip of the little
Cockney's hand. The men behind were so near that they
could not replace the covering of the tunnel. To leave it
uncovered might give away their knowledge. Signing to
Smith to imitate him, Alton spread himself by the mouth
of the tunnel, his knobkerrie laid back to strike. A head
appeared, then another ; woollen caps on both.
i The Work of the Knobkerrie
" Now ! " he said, and struck. Fortunately Smith had
selected the other. Both men had to be got out of the hole,
by no means an easy job. Then they had to be dragged
towards the British lines, so that their deaths might, when
discovered, be attributed to an indiscretion. It was
risky work, for either side might shoot. The bodies were
at last laid near our wire, and then Alton, to run no risk,
smashed in one of the skulls with his knobkerrie.
He was going to repeat the operation on the other when
his companion saved him the trouble, with a blow into
which he put an infinite relish. Ten minutes later they
were again within their own lines with the news that would
foil the enemy's raid on the morrow and carpet the sad
spaces of No Man's Land with blue-grey uniforms.
TRAFFIC CONTROL AT THE FRONT.— British troops moving along a main road during the course of a British advance in the
west, with a military policeman on point duty in the middle of the road. (Official photograph. Crown copyright reserved.)
1851
Moments of Suspense with British Sniper Party
British outpost searching fora German sniper in the ruins
;tory-
1852
Charge of Deccan Horse at Foureaux Ridge
After the charge on July 14th, 1916. Deccan
Horse pleased and elated with their performance
the woods and riding dow
Horse awaiting orders to ad
'n they enemy"infantrv"<nrCe<t0f acharaeBinc8 the early days of the war, the Deccan Horse debouching fr m
Ivance. The inset picture was ?"?!! . "rnfields- This striking impression shows the Deocan
<en while the Indian Lancers were on the move. (Official photographs.)
1853
London Scottish Advance to the Pipers' Tune
London Scottish marching to the trenches to the skirl cff th
pipes. Inset : German howitzers broken by British E he I Is
The steel casque in place of the glengarry. London Scottish on the way to the fighting zone equipped from head to foot.
Highland soldiers were perhaps the most popular Britons, among General Haig's armies, in the land of our Gallic ally.
1854
Pluck and Peril with the Gallant Seaforths
Two of the Seaforths ready to fire a trench-mortar directly the
observer, watching through the periscope, indicates the moment.
The tins in the foreground are for subsequent use as bombs.
German shell bursting near a British rest camp. Some
soldiers are contemplating the explosion with unconcern.
German reply to the mortar seen in first photograph.
Shrapnel bursting near the British parapet.
Having received the signal from the observer shown at the top of the
page, the Seaforths fire their bomb, which can be seen in flight.
(Photographs Crown copyright.)
Seaforths who won D.C.M.: R. S.-M. Sutherland,
Bergt. Porter, Corpl. Ward, Lce.-Corpl. Reid,
Corpl. Macleod.
1855
(
/
THEWILLUSTRATED-GAIlERYoF LEADERS
GENERAL SIR CHARLES C. MONRO, K.C.B., G.C.M.G.
Appointed in December, 1915, to the Command or (be First Army on the Western
Front, and formerly in Command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.
1856
OF
THE GREAT WAR
GENERAL SIR CHARLES C. MONRO
A HARD - HEADED, determined man, with a bright
intelligence and much force of character ; rather
thick-set, with steely eyes and short, bristly
moustache, and a voice quiet but emphatic ; one trusted
implicitly at sight, of the type of leader associated with
Wellington's Peninsular campaign ; in general appearance
bearing a somewhat striking resemblance to Viscount
French — such, in a sentence, is Sir Charles Carmichael
Monro. " You can see a regiment stiffen under his very
glance," said one who met him " somewhere in France."
11 A Dark Horse " to the General Public
Of him it may be said, with literal truth, that, so far
as the mass of the public was concerned, he was unknown
before the Great War. Up to the dawn of that fateful
August of 1914, when the Prussian mask was thrown away,
Charles Monro was a highly efficient but comparatively
subordinate part of the British Army machine ; a major-
general of some four years' standing. When the world-
conflict was in the twenty-first month of its eventful pro-
gress, he had been in the thick of it on three fronts, gained
two steps in substantive rank, and become a K.C.B., a
G.C.M.G., and a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour.
He is not a man of whom many anecdotes are told.
With his heart in his profession he 'has entrenched himself
against publicity tehind his work. Born on June 15th, 1860,
a few months after far-reaching changes in Prussia's
military organisation had been foreshadowed by the Crown
Prince William, he is the youngest son of the late Henry
Monro, of Craiglockhart, a mile or two from Edinburgh
town, one of a family the members of which are not un-
known to military history, but are more famous as pioneers
of one of the most celebrated schools of medicine and
surgery in Europe. Three of Charles Monro's forebears
held in succession the Professorship of Anatomy and
Surgery at Edinburgh University.
An Officer of Marlborough's Regiment
Charles Monro, entering the army while still in his teens,
obtained his first commission in a regiment- — the old and
Foot— in which John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, began
his career. When, two years later, in 1881, he became
a lieutenant, the old and Foot had changed its name to
the Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment). For five
years he was adjutant, and he did not get his captaincy
until 1889. His first experience of active service came in
1897-8, on the North- West Frontier, of India, when he
took part with the " Tangerines " in the Mohmand, Bajana,
and Tirah expeditions. He then received the medal with
two clasps and promotion to the rank of major.
Several Staff appointments followed. From October,
1898, to March, 1899, he was Brigade-Major at Gibraltar ;
and between April and December, 1899, he was D.A.A.G.
at Guernsey and at Aldershot respectively. Three months
after the South African War began he went out as a Staff
officer with Lord Roberts, and was present at the relief
of Kimberley, the heading-off of Cronje at Paardeburg,
and the hard-fought action at Driefontein, where the
enemy were turned out of their positions at the point of the
bayonet. Mentioned in despatches, he received the
Cjueeix's medal and three clasps, and the brevet-rank
of lieutenant-colonel.
Valuable Services at Hythe
K> turning to England, Lieut .-Colonel Monro, in February,
1901, took over the highly important post of Chief In-
structor and Staff Officer at the School of Musketry, Hythe.
He became Commandant here in March, 1903, and retained
this post till March. 11,07, having in the meantime been
promoted colonel. One of the lessons learned by bitter
experience on the veldt was the vital importance of
musketry training in the army. Lord Roberts never tired
of emphasising this, and as we read with pride of what
" French's contemptible little army " did with their rifles
at Mons and elsewhere in 1914, under the most galling of
imaginable conditions, it is to be remembered that no
small part of their effective work was inspired by the
thorough system of training inaugurated under Colonel
Monro's supervision at the famous Cinque Port School.
Rewarded with the C.B., Colonel Monro, in May, 1907,
crossed the Irish Channel and took over the command of the
I3th Brigade, which had its headquarters in Dublin. He
remained here till January, 1911, having in the previous
October risen to the rank of major-general. His next
appointment, in March, igia, was as G.O.C. Second London
Division of the Territorial Force, and he retained this until
the outbreak of the Great War. From the first he had
taken a close interest in our " citizen soldiers," and he
displayed this interest by a characteristic insistence on
the necessity for hard, practical, persistent training. Among
the men his zeal won for him the soubriquet of " Old
Squad Drill."
The Monro Doctrine of "Thorough"
In the army manoeuvres of 1913, he created something like
a sensation by his masterly handling of a Territorial Division
which was opposed by units of the Regular Army. His
men took cover, cut off convoys, destroyed communications,
and generally made things distinctly unpleasant for their
opponents ; and at the end of it all it was hard to say who
was the proudest, the Territorials of their commander, or
he of them. Headquarters realised that the Monro doctrine
was " Thorough," and when the London Territorials met the
flower of the German Army in France and Flanders, some
of the results of that doctrine were made obvious to the
man-in-the-street at home.
When the First Army Corps went to France from Alder-
shot, in August, 1914, under Sir Douglas Haig, a divisional
command was allotted to Major-General Monro, who led
his men through the thickest of the fighting, between
August and November, on the Aisne and elsewhere. In
the first battle of Ypres he had a narrow escape, being
knocked unconscious by an enemy shell. On the re-
organisation of Sir John French's force into armies, the
leadership of the third was given to Sir Charles Monro, then
a K.C.B., with mention in despatches for pre-eminent and
valuable services.
Successor to Sir Ian Hamilton
In October, 1915, Sir Charles Monro was gazetted lieu-
tenant-general, and with the rank of temporary general
he -succeeded Sir Ian Hamilton as Commander-in-Chief of
the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, with the onerous
task of reporting to the Government on the advisalility
or otherwise of a withdrawal from the Dardanelles. By
many of his friends the task was viewed with some not
unnatural concern, for it was felt that, whatever might
be his decision, it would be attacked by the critics. He
reported in favour of a withdrawal. Lord Kitchener went
out himself, and arrived at the same conclusion, which,
bitter as may be the inevitable reflections called up by it,
eventually commended itself to general acceptance.
In Command of the First Army
With the help of Admiral Wemyss, Sir Charles Monro
was responsible for the masterly withdrawal, with in-
finitesimal losses, of the troops, guns and stores from
Anzac and Suvla Bay, and their debarkation at Salonika.
His services were rewarded in March, 1916, with the G.C.M.G.,
and in the following month he received the insignia of a
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour.
The withdrawal from Gallipoli took place in December,
1915, and in the same month Sir Douglas Haig succeeded
to the command of the British Forces on the Western
front, whereupon Sir Charles Monro returned to France to
take over the leadership of the First Army. Thereafter,
the civilian at home, no less than military men, watched
for news of his activities with the most lively interest. It
was felt to be high time that an infantry officer should be
placed in charge of what was essentially infantry war
when it was not a war of artillery.
In March, igia, Sir Charles Monro married the Hon.
Mary Caroline Towneley-O'Hagan, daughter of the first
Baron O'Hagan, K.P., twice Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
1857
Silken guise is swept aside
From thy armour grim and black,
A nd to-day we watch with pride —
As those countless hordes attack —
Dauntless Verdun hurl the tide
BACK.
In this bloodiest of frays —
Scarred on history's expanse.
All the world shall sing thy praise,
Gallant land of Old Romance,
Crown thy sons with deathless bays —
FRANCE.
—JESSIE POPE
The
Struggle for
Verdun
General Retain, the heroic defender of Verdun, looks across the fateful field.
1858
1859
THE STRUGGLE FOR VERDUN
By Lord Northcliffe
fHE extraordinary series of attacks and counter-attacks which went to make up the long-drawn-out and
ever-changing battle for the possession of the Verdun positions embodied more material for the military
historian than most of the great wars of the past. It is impossible in any reasonable space adequately
to tell the story of that titanic struggle. The most that can be done is to present some impressions of
certain aspects of it — features that are likely to stand out in the general history of the war as characteristic
of this, its most epic, period. It was the privilege of Lord Northcliffe to be an eye-witness of some of
the earlier stages of this great struggle, and the series of despatches which he then wrote to the "Times,"
and which were quoted at length in the newspapers throughout the world, were universally recognised
as the most noteworthy contributions made by any journalist to the endless narrative of the war. The
following chapter, written by Lord Norlhcliffe in the second week of April, 1916, in large measure
summarising the most salient points of these famous despatches, in the light of the situation at that date,
enables the reader to gather a really vivid and enduring idea ol what the struggle for Verdun was like.
\ 7ERDUN is, in many ways, the most extraordinary
Y of battles. The mass of metal used on both sides is
far beyond all parallel ; the transformation on the
Douaumont Ridge was more suddenly dramatic than even
the Battle of the Marne ; and, above all, the duration of
the conflict already looks as if it would surpass anything
in history. When, by the kindness of General Joffre and
General Petain, I was able to watch the struggle from
various vital view-points, the battle had already been raging
for a fortnight, and four to five thousand guns were still
thundering round Verdun. Impossible, therefore, to describe
the entire battle The most one can do is to set down
one's impressions of the first phases of the terrific conflict.
My chief impression is one of admiration for the subtle
powers oi mind of the French High Command. General
Joffre and General Castelnau are men with especially fine
intellects tempered to terrible keenness. In 1914, when
they were commanders, France was inferior to a great
degree in point of numbers to Prussianised Germany. In
armament, also, France was inferior at first to her enemy.
The French High Command thus had to do all that human
intellect can against almost overwhelming hostile material
forces. General Joffre General Castelnau — and, later,
General Petain — rhad to display genius where the Germans
were exhibiting talent, and the result is to be seen at Verdun.
They there caught the enemy in a series of traps of a kind
hitherto unknown in modern warfare — something elemental,
and yet subtle, neo-primitive, and befitting the atavistic
character of the Teuton. They caught him in a web of
his own unfulfilled boasts.
Germany's Gigantic Preparation
The enemy began by massing a surprising force on the
western front. It was usually reckoned that the Germans
maintain on all fronts a field army of about seventy-four
and a half army corps, which at full strength number three
million men. Yet, while holding the Russians from Riga
to the south of the Pripet Marshes, and maintaining a
show of force in the Balkans. Germany seems to have
succeeded in bringing up nearly two millions and a half of
men for her grand spring offensive in the west. Troops
and guns were withdrawn in increasing numbers from
Russia and Serbia in December, 1915, until there were, it
is estimated, a hundred and eighteen divisions on the
Franco- British- Belgian front. A -large number of 6 in. and
12 in. Austrian howitzers were added to the enormous
Krupp batteries. Then a large proportion of new recruits
of the 1916 class were removed into Rhineland depots to
serve as drafts for the fifty-nine army corps, and it is
thought that nearly all the huge shell output that had
accumulated during the winter was transported westward.
All this gigantic work of preparation could not be hidden.
But I do not think the allied Staffs, in spite of their various and
wide sources of information, penetrated deeply into the Ger-
man plan ; for the hostile Chief of Staff, General Falkenhayn,
made his dispositions in a very skilful manner. Out of his
available total of one hundred and eighteen divisions, he
massed his principal striking force of thirty-two divisions
against the British army. Verdun was apparently only a
secondary objective, against which fourteen and, later, thirty
divisions were concentrated. At the time of writing, the
principal enemy mass was still placed, according to the last
information I have, against Sir Douglas Haig's army.
One effect of this massing of German troops against the
new and longer British line was that the then French
commander at Verdun, General Herr, scarcely expected the
overwhelming attack made upon him on February 2ist,
1916. General Herr's Staff knew — though he himself
obstinately declined to believe it — that the enemy was
preparing a formidable assault in the woods north of the old
French frontier fort. But though the German airmen were
very active throughout January and February, a good deal
could be seen by the French aerial observers of the vast work
going on amid the misty tracks of woodland. Lieutenant
Immelmann and other crack Fokker pilots joined the Crown
Prince's army, and for some weeks our allies at Verdun
almost lost the command of the air above their lines.
The French Handicap in Aircraft
It is true that one Zeppelin was brought down by gun
fire while trying to bombard the French railway line of
communication, and two German aeroplanes were destroyed
out ot a squadron of fifteen that bombed Revigny. But
the triumph over the Zeppelin did not in any way alter
the effective situation. Our allies were at a very serious
disadvantage in regard to aircraft during the critical periods of
the German preparations and the enemy's main attacks. It
was not until the middle of March that the French recovered
fully at Verdun the power of reconnoitring the enemy's
positions and bombing his distant lines of communication.
The French Staff reckoned that Verdun would be
attacked when the ground had dried somewhat in the
March winds. It was thought that the first enemy move-
ment would take place against the British front in some
of the sectors of which there were chalk undulations,
through which the rains of winter quickly drained. The
Germans skilfully encouraged this idea by making an
apparent preliminary attack at Lihons, with rolling gas-
clouds and successive waves of infantry. During this
feint the veritable offensive movement softly began on
Saturday, February igth, 1916, when the enormous masses
of hostile artillery west, east, and north of the Verdun
salient started registering on the French positions. Only
in small numbers did the German guns fire, in order not to
alarm their opponents. But even this trial bombardment
was a terrible display of power, calling forth all the energies
of the outnumbered French gunners to maintain the
artillery duels that continued day and night until Monday
morning, February aist.
Looking at the country from the observation point east
of Verdun, one can see why it was chosen by the German
Staff for a grand surprise attack. As I stood, with the
flooded Mouse and its high western banks behind me, and
before me the famous plateau crowned by the ruins of
Douaumont Fort, I was reminded of Scotland. Perth on
the Tay, amid its fir-wooded heights, is rather like Verdun
in the basin of the Meuse. It was the evergreen fir-woods
that attracted the (ierman Staff, as splendid cover for their
vast artillery preparations. As their aircraft at last almost
dominated the French aeroplanes, they completed their
concentration of guns by an arrogantly daring return to
old-fashioned methods. Instead of digging any more
gun-pits, they placed hundreds of pieces of artillery side
by side above ground, confident that the French artillery
would be overwhelmed before it could do any damage.
A French airman, sent to count the batteries in the small
I860
THE STRUGGLE FOR VERDUN
wood of Granilly, gave up his task in despair, saying there
were more guns than trees.
The method ot handling these great parks of artillery
was a development of the phalanx tactics used by Von
Mackensen in breaking the Russian lines at Gorlice ; and
according to a rumour, Von Mackensen was at Verdun,
with his chief, General von Falkenhayn, superintending
the disposition of guns and men. The commander nomin-
ally in charge, however, was Field-Marshal von Haeseler, a
tall, thin man of eighty, of the type of Von der Goltz —
excellent at drawing up schemes on paper, and accounted,
before the test of war, the best military leader in Germany.
He had, therefore, been placed in command ot the Crown
Prince's army, so that by his genius he might win personal
glory for the Hohenzollern dynasty. In any case, it is
clear that Von Haeseler either adopted and developed
Von Mackensen's new system of attack, or that Von
Mackensen in person directed the movement, with Von
Haeseler in nominal command, in order to mislead the
French Staff as to the way in which the movement was
likely to develop. Certainly, General Herr did not antici-
pate the character or the tremendous violence of the assault
that opened at dawn on February 2ist, 1916.
Two Army Corps Against Seven
For two days the German heavy howitzers had been
battering at the twenty-five miles of defensive earthworks
round Verdun, in order to make so large a gap that the
hostile long-range guns of defence behind the third line
could not close the rent by means of curtain fire. General
Herr and his Staff had only two army corps to hold back
the seven army corps that the Germans first brought
forward ; but the high, broken, difficult ground about
Verdun favoured the defending forces. Moreover, the
French engineers had worked in an astonishing fashion to
perfect the natural difficulties of the terrain. In the low
ground, such as that round the two Omes heights held by
the Germans, the French had tunnels running to a depth
at which no shell could penetrate. In the three important
woodlands between Ornes and the Meuse — Haumont
Wood, Caures Wood, and Herbebois Wood — there was all
the intensive system of protection that had been developed
in the Argonne fighting. General Sarrail had only extended
his lines to the woodlands in the plain between the Meuse
and Ornes in the spring of 1915, snatching the ground from
the enemy bit by bit when the German forces at Verdun
were weakened through sending reinforcements to the
Champagne and Lille fields of conflict. General Sarrail,
however, seems to have extended his lines into the low-
lying northern woodlands with considerable reluctance.
He liked hill positions himself, and there was a dispute
between him and the High Command regarding his manner
of fortifying the newly-won ground. As a result he was sent
to Salonika, and the defence of Verdun in the new style was
given to a new man, little known to the public — General Herr.
But the phalanx tactics of the Von Mackensen school were
calculated to overwhelm any system of defensive works, new
or old, in forests or on hillsides. The German attack was
irresistible, and it was only the large space of country avail-
able for retreat between the Meuse and Ornes line and the
Douaumont Plateau that saved Verdun from rapid capture.
Precision o! German Gun Fire
The enemy seems to have maintained a bombardment all
round General Hcrr's lines on February aist, 1916, but this
general battering was done with a thousand pieces of field-
artillery. The grand masses of heavy howitzers were used
in a different way. At a quarter past seven in the morning
they concentrated on the small sector of advanced en-
trenchments near Brabant and the Meuse ; 12 in. shells
fell with terrible precision every few yards. The trenches
were obliterated. In each small sector of the six-mile
northward bulge of the Verdun salient the work of destruc-
tion was done with surprising quickness. After the line
from Brabant to Haumont was smashed, the main fire
power was directed against the other end of the bow at
Herbebois, Ornes, and Maucourt. Then when both ends
of the bow were severely hammered, the central point of
the Verdun salient, Caures Wood, was smothered in shells
of all sizes. In this manner almost the whole enormous
force of heavy artillery was centred upon mile after mile of
the French front. When the great guns lifted over the lines
of craters, the lighter field-artillery, placed row after row in
front of the wreckage, maintained an unending fire curtain
over the communicating saps and support entrenchments.
Then came the second surprising feature in the new
German system of attack. No waves of storming infantry
swept into the shattered works. Only strong patrols at
first came forward, to discover if it were safe for the main
body of troops to advance and reorganise the French line
so as to allow the artillery to move onward. The German
commanders thought it would be possible to do all the
fighting with long-range artillery, leaving the infantry to act
as squatters to the great guns, and occupy and rebuild line
after line of the French defences without any serious hand-to-
hand struggles. All they had to do was to protect the gunners
from surprise attack, while the guns made an easy path for
them, and also beat back any counter-attack in force.
General Castelnau's Perplexing Tactics
But, ingenious as was this scheme for saving the man-
power of Germany by an unparalleled expenditure of shell,
it required for full success the co-operation of the French
troops. But the French did not co-operate. Their High
Command had continually improved their system of trench
defence in accordance with the experiences of their own
hurricane bombardments in Champagne and the Carency
sector. General Castelnau, the acting Commander-in-
Chief on the French front, was indeed the inventor of
hurricane fire tactics, which he had used for the first time
in February, 1915, in Champagne. When General Jofire
took over the conduct of all French operations, leaving to
General Castelnau the immediate control of the front in
France, the victor of the Battle of Nancy weakened his
advance lines and then his support lines, until his troors
actually engaged in fighting were very little more than a
thin covering body, such as is thrown out towards the
frontier while the main forces connect well behind.
The tactical effect of this extraordinary measure was to
leave remarkably few French troops exposed to the appall-
ing tempest of German and Austrian shells. The fire-
trench was almost empty, and in many cases the real
defenders of the French line were men with machine-guns,
hidden at some distance from the positions at which the
German gunners aimed. The batteries of light guns, which
the French handled with the flexibility and continuity of
fire of Maxims, were also concealed in widely-scattered
positions. The main damage caused by the first intense
bombardment was the destruction of all the telephone wires
along the French front. Communications could only te
slowly re-established by messengers, so that many parties
of men had to fight on their own initiative, with little or no
combination of effort with their comrades.
The Memorable Defence of Caures Wood
Yet, desperate as were their circumstances, they broke
down the German plan for capturing trenches without an
infantry attack. They caught the patrols and annihilated
them, and then swept back the elisillusioned and reluctant
main bodies of German troops. The small French garrison
of every centre of resistance fought with cool, deadly
courage, and often to the death.
The organisation of the French Machine-gun Corps was
a fine factor in the eventual success. One gun fired ten
thousand rounds daily for a week, most of the positions
selected being spots from which each German infantry
advance would be enfiladed and shattered. Then the
French " 75 s," which had been masked during the over-
whelming fire of the enemy's howitzers, came unexpectedly
into action when the German infantry attacks increased in
strength. Near Haumont, for example, eight successive
furious attacks were repulsed by three batteries of " 75's."
Some of the Haumont guns got through the German fire
curtain, and helped in the defence of the Caures Wood.
Here there occurred some memorable exploits. First of
all the wood was lost by the smashing effect of the German
heavy shell fire. The position was almost as strong as the
famous German Labyrinth near Arras, and, knowing this,
the enemy used his i6'8 in. Berthas in addition to the 12 in.
Skoda guns. The deep roofs were driven down upon the
men sheltering beneath, and the wood had to be abandoned.
But the survivors of the garrison held the enemy back.
ISlil
Poignant Pictures from the Furnace of Verdun
Squad of French prisoners captured by the Germans in one of their assaults against Verdun. Judging by the distinctly miserable
expressions of the German soldiers, one would be inclined to think that they were the prisoners and our allies were the captors.
Ashes to ashes. Scene in a war-stricken corner of France. Military funeral procession consisting of a two-horsed waggon,
two French infantrymen, and the village priest. The cortege is passing through a village shattered by gun flre.
1862
1863
THE STRUGGLE FOR VERDUN
while a lieutenant of engineers with his men laid a large
number of mines with electrical firing wires. The German
general, after his skirmishers and bombing-parties had been
beaten off, went back to the old Prussian method of a mass
attack, and launched a division against the wood. By
arrangement, the French covering troops fled in apparent
panic, and were hotly chased down the trenches and com-
munication saps to the southern outskirts. As the last man
left the wood, the lieutenant of engineers, who was near
Beaumont waiting the signal, pressed a button. Many of the
trees rose in the air, and the Germans suffered very badly.
Lieut. -Colonel Driant's Magnificent Stand
Soon afterwards, Lieutenant-Colonel Driant, with two
fine battalions of Chasseurs, recovered by a counter-attack
the southern part of Caurcs Wood. Driant was a magnifi-
cent soldier. His heroic end saddened the French people,
and yet inspired them with fresh courage. The day after
his fine victory the forces on either side of him were com-
pelled to withdraw, and the Germans closed round him on
both sides. Arranging his two battalions in five columns,
he made a splendid fighting retreat between the two German
divisions which almost enveloped his force. With only a
hundred men he rearguarded the retirement, and was found
dead by the Germans on the battlefield. He was buried
beside one of his captains close to the wood.
In spite of the vast forces employed by the enemy, the
Germans achieved but little on the first day of battle,
February 2ist. They won a footing in the first-line
trenches and in some of the supporting trenches — a thing
any army could have done with a large expenditure of shell.
The French still held Brabant and Haumont, with Colonel
Driant in Caures Wood and the garrisons of Herbebois
Wood and Ornes holding their own. But on the morning
of February 22nd, the Germans worked up a ravine between
Brabant and Haumont by means of burning liquids spurted
from flame-projectors. At the same time the German
artillery renewed its smashing, intensive fire, wrecking
and flattening out Haumont village and breaking up the
French works for a depth of three or four miles. Fortified
farms were bombarded south of Haumont Wood and trans-
formed into volcanoes by the huge German shells, and when
night fell trench warfare had come to an end so far as the
northern part of the Verdun garrison was concerned.
French Retire from Herbebois
All their earthworks had been swept out of existence,
and the troops fought and worked in the open in a tragic
darkness lighted by the enemy's wonderful star-shells.
They had been hammered out of Brabant, on the edge of
the Meuse, and their centre had been driven in. On the
right, however, the garrison of Herbebois Wood still clung
on to part of their original position, under an intermittent
hurricane of heavy shell, the intervals of which were filled '
by infantry attacks. Under the enemy's fire the French
troops linked their Herbebois line with Hill 351, digging
all night in a rain of death to connect the two positions for
a fresh defence against an enfilading attack on Beaumont.
When morning broke, the Germans began the attack on this
new French line. After a desperate struggle lasting twelve
hours, in which the enemy commander continually brought
up fresh regiments, the French retired from Herbebois and
another wood below it, but still held on to the hill.
All along this side of the salient hand-to-hand fighting
went on, from Ornes to Bezonvaux and the advanced
position of the Hill of Vaux. Small French garrisons held
advanced positions in the plain stretching towards the
enemy's base of Etain. There was terrible fighting at
Maucourt, where the French had some quick-firing guns,
posted only five yards apart, and unmasked against German
columns charging twenty men abreast in close ranks. The
French soldiers themselves sickened at the slaughter they
wrought. From Ornes to Vaux the ground was covered
with dead or maimed men. The French gunners suffered
more in proportion than their infantry, especially in the
centre and the left wing, where the guns had to fight a
continual rearguard action in the open. Though they often
caught German columns at short range, they were in turn
smitten by the heavy German guns, enemy airmen circling
over them and directing the fire. Ornes held out until the
afternoon of February 24th, when the garrison retreated
to Bezonvaux, from which a ravine ran up to Douaumont.
Covering the country north of Douaumont was a superb
set of fighters composed of Zouaves and African sharp-
shooters. They recaptured part of the wood between
Herbebois and Hill 351, and then withstood a prolonged
bombardment of terrific intensity. The din and concussion
of the heavy shells were appalling ; the blood at times
poured from the men's ears under the shock of the pressure
of air, and yet they stuck to their job. They were pushed
out of Beaumont and out of the wood they had recaptured,
and they lost Fosses Wood a little way below the
Douaumont Plateau, towards which they retired.
Meanwhile, the centre and left of the French salient
were hammered back with increasing rapidity. The
division close to the Meuse, which had withdrawn from
Brabant and Haumont, tried in vain to counter-attack
from their second line at Samogneux, Hill 344, and a
fortified farm near by. The enemy massed his guns against
them across the Meuse, northward, and north-westward.
They could not move out to attack, and by the evening of
February 23rd their position was untenable. In the night
they withdrew from Samogneux towards Pepper Hill
(C6te du Poivre), which was practically their last dominating
position. Pepper Hill was, indeed, the critical position of
the entire defence of Verdun. Had the enemy won it he
would have been able to advance along the Meuse and cut
off a large part of the French forces in the salient.
Sanguinary Struggle for Pepper Hill
General Herr and his Staff, however, devised a deadly
system of defence for Pepper Hill. Across the river at
this point the French held several lines of dominating heights,
from which they poured a flanking fire into every hostile
force advancing from Brabant and Haumont. The nearer
the Germans came to Verdun, on the Pepper Hill sector,
the more terribly they suffered from the fire across the Meuse.
They came within range of rifles, machine-guns, and light
field-pieces, as well as heavy howitzers, and while their
flanks were thus shattered, their front was hammered from
the Pepper Hill position. At Vacherauville, a village just
below Pepper Hill, the enemy's advance was definitely
checked on February 25th. In one ravine near the village,
as day was breaking, some French gunners on Pepper Hill
espied a grey mass of hostile forces, and shelled it furiously.
The Germans did not move. When the light was clear, it
was seen that the figures were dead, though many still stood
upright. They had been caught the evening before by the
guns across the river and slain wholesale, more by shell-blast,
apparently, than by shell fragments. Von Haeseler had made
a costly mistake in driving up the Meuse towards Pepper Hill
before he cleared the French from Goose Crest (Cote 1'Oie),
Dead Man Hill (Mort Homme), and Charny Ridge across the
river. He afterwards tried to remedy his error by bringing
his main artillery forces against Goose Crest and Dead Man
Hill. But before thus widening the scope of his attack, he
tried to preserve the intensive, narrow method of assault in
the Von Mackensen style by thrusting into the centre of the
flattened Verdun salient. That is to say, he shifted the point
of the phalanx from Pepper Hill to the middle of the
Douaumont Plateau. This was the right and plain course,
for it removed the attacking masses and their immediate
artillery supports from the French flanking fire across the
Meuse, and brought them nearly within reach of victory.
Snowstorm Aids the French
The great thrust into the French centre also cleared the
French out of the eastern edges of the Heights of the Meuse
overlooking the Woevre Plain, for the Zouaves and
Moroccans and the former garrisons of Herbebois and Ornes
were farthest from Verdun, and most in danger of being cut
off. The Zouaves and Moroccans fell back on Douaumont,
while the troops from Bezonvaux entrenched by the
Douaumont Ravine and the Vaux Ravine.
Then the great snowstorm of February swept over the
hilly battlefield and the lowland marshes of the Woevre.
The storm was a disaster to the Germans. It robbed them
in the crisis of the struggle of their tremendous power of
artillery. Gunners and aerial observers were blinded, and
from their point of view matters were not much improved
by the mist that followed the snow. Snowdrifts in the
valley paths delayed the forward movement of the guns and
18G4
THE STRUGGLE FOR VERDUN
the bringing up of ammunition and supplies to the firing-
line. This was when the original German plan for economy
in men went all to pieces. The High Command could not
wait for its guns to resume full action. The infantry-
had to undertake, with diminished artillery support, the
terrible work of breaking the French front by hand-to-hand
fighting. Verdun, after all, was to be purchased with
German blood and not with German shells.
The great arc of artillery was still able to work by the
map and by observers in the firing-line. It could pound
villages, farms, and old forts, in which French troops
might be sheltering, but it could not aim at the manoeuvring
columns and discern all the paths of communication. On
the Plateau of Douaumont, some four hundred feet above
the Meuse, the garrison of Verdun had the old entrenchments
prepared at the outbreak of the war and improved by long
labour. Then there were many improvised new defences —
masked batteries of quick-firers, to be unmasked only
against mass infantry attacks, hundreds of machine-guns
detached irom battalion service and acting as a sort of
secondary artillery corps. And far behind the flaming,
smoking plateau there was a superhuman outburst of activity
in France, veiled from enemy air scouts by the falling snow.
The Situation Becomes Very Critical
General Joffre, General Castelnau, and their Staff were
now convinced that Verdun was the enemy's first objective.
The British army took over all the line where the second
grand German offensive was expected, thus liberating
important French reinforcements for the battle on the
Heights of the Meuse. All lines and roads leading, round-
about or direct, towards Verdun, were crowded with men
and material. The main French force was driving towards
the enemy. The only matter of doubt was whether it
would arrive in time to hold Verdun, or whether the
supreme contest between French and German would take
place on the western side of the Meuse.
This depended upon the staying power of the small,
original garrison of Verdun. At heroic sacrifice they had
to cover the massing of the great new forces. The situation
had become very critical on the afternoon of February 24th,
when large enemy forces debouched between Louvemont
village and the hill in front of the Douaumont Plateau.
General Herr flung all his remaining reserves into the fight,
with the order that the line between Douaumont and
Haudromont was to be held at any cost. Von Haeseler, in
turn, brought up all his available infantry and employed them
in mass attacks of great ferocity and persistence. His aim was
to wear down the physical power of endurance of the French.
On February 25th the Germans, after a long hand-to-hand
wrestle, took all the village of Louvemont at the slope of the
plateau, and climbed up the ridge, but were thrown down.
About this time General Castelnau came to Verdun to see
how things were going on. He was not contented with
what he saw. The Germans had won a magnificent
artillery position on the high land at Beaumont, towards
which they were dragging the main group of their heavy
guns. The command of the air had been almost lost, and
there was not enough pontoon bridges across the flooded
Meuse to bring up quickly the needed reinforcements.
General Herr was relieved of his command, and a very fine
engineer, who was also a specialist in handling heavy artillery
— General Petain — was entrusted with the reorganisation of
the Verdun defences. Meanwhile, before General Petain
could get to work, there was the immediate task of checking
the massed infantry attacks which the enemy was employing
until the air cleared and his guns were sited on the new
Beaumont position. General Castelnau could not bring up
a large force — time and means were lacking. A picked body
of fighters Was needed, and the general wired for the Bretons
who had won the Battle of Nancy for him — the Bretons of
the Twentieth Army Corps, under General Balfouricr.
General Baltourier's Timely Arrival
They arrived just in time on the plateau on February
26th. As was the case at Nancy, the Kaiser was present,
watching the development of a " grand German victory."
He stood on one of the hills near Ornes, with the Crown
Prince by his side, and Von Falkcnhayn and Von Haeseler.
For reasons of domestic politics a purely Prussian force —
the Brandenburgers — had been chosen to deal the decisive
stroke. All the previous day and the previous night
ordinary German divisions carried out the real work of
smashing against the Zouaves and Moroccans, and bringing
them to the limit of human endurance.
The Zouaves were perfect. They were in front of
Douaumont village, with the Moroccan Division and two
infantry regiments ; they fought for two days and two
nights without eating or sleeping. On February 26th, when
Douaumont Fort was lost, the Zouaves and their comrades
still held the village, and on February 2yth, without help,
they broke the long prepared attack by part of the German
Fifteenth Army Corps. They let their foes come within
two hundred yards, and then put a shrapnel curtain behind
them to prevent retreat or reinforcement, and smote them
down with " 75's," machine-guns, and rifles. The struggle
for the village went on to the end of the month, by which
time the Germans had made eighteen attacks in force, all of
which were broken. When the approaches to Douaumont were
covered with dead and wounded the French made a counter-
attack, and won a footing in a redoubt north-west of the
village, from which the enemy had been pouring an uncom-
fortable machine-gun fire. The Crisis at Douaumont
Stubborn, however, as was the stand made by the
Zouaves, they would have perished on the critical day of
the Douaumont fight but for the arrival of Balfourier's
Bretons. On the afternoon of that day they were in
extreme peril of being enveloped on their right. The
dismantled fort had been taken by three thousand Branden-
burgers during the heavy fog. Still working by the map,
the gunners of the long-range German and Austrian
artillery massed with remarkable precision against the
fortress works, and then poured great shells about it,
in a blind profusion which was expensive but effective.
After this bombardment had made the trenches of the
troops untenable, the Brandenburgers, who had come in
the night up the ravine from Bezonvaux and gathered in
a wood, charged under cover of the fog, and won a footing
on the plateau. Reaching the dismantled fort, that crowns
a swell of ground some 1,200 feet above sea-level, the men
•of the Brandenburg Mark tried to break through the
French rearguard. But after withdrawing foi a mile
and a quarter, the French line remained unbroken, bent
away from the fort, but still curving round the village.
Friday night (the 25th) and Saturday morning were a
period of extreme crisis. Open field fighting of the most
desperate nature went on continuously. The Germans
fought with great bravery, according to the best tradition
of Prussian discipline. But the French, French Colonial,
and African troops still bore up against the superior numbers
of fresh enemy forces. Fighting and working, our allies
strove to establish themselves solidly on their new line of
defence, while the Germans, with victory apparently well
within their reach, tried to break through by overwhelming
weight and unfaltering driving power. They took, without
breaking, heavier punishment than their own theorists
before the war expected modern national armies to stand.
But firm as they were, the outnumbered French soldiers
were firmer, and as twilight was falling, Balfourier, with the
famous Twentieth Army Corps, came into action.
Kaiser Trapped in his own Boasts
The vehemence of attack of the frtsh French force was
terrific. The men went forward with such speed that the
enemy was surprised. The Bretons smashed onwards for
more than a mile, joining on to the Zouaves at Douaumont
village, and enclosing part of a Brandenburg regiment in
the fort. The Germans on the slope of the ravine, however,
managed to hold on to a sap running through a coppice and
connecting with the fort. The enemy thus retained a
valuable observation station on the plateau, from which
he could direct his main batteries at Beaumont. But for
the rest he was trapped.
The Kaiser in person had sustained a more disastrous
defeat than he had received at Nancy, for at Verdun he
could not retire. He had telegraphed to Berlin news of
his great victory over the " hereditary enemy " ; his
officials had filled the German and neutral Press with
glorious anticipations of the capture of Verdun, of which
the principal fort was alleged to have fallen. Rumania,
ccording to Teutonic opinion, was only being restrained
1865
Where the Germans Were Shattered at Douaumont
Until the end of February , 1916, Douaumont was but an obscure
village on the Meuse salient, but after then It bore the brunt of
the Verdun offensive, and this curious word with four consecu-
tive vowel sounds will be remembered as the scene of Uie mo*'
appalling slaughter ever imagined.
Thousands of Germans
met their fate on the Douaumont Ridge, being shattered piece-
meal by the French artillery. The town itself was taken and
retaken four times. This remarkable Impression MCTCM
extremity of the village. In the background Is seen the ridge
leading up to the fort rushed by the Brandenburgers.
1866
THE STRUGGLE FOR VERDUN
from following the example of Italy by the tremendous
energy with which the Germans were renewing their drive
in France. The Kaiser's telegram concerning the conquest
of Douaumont had been sent to Berlin as a transmitting
station ; its true destination was Bukarest.
Political and Moral Value oi Verdun
I cannot think of any parallel in history to this phase
of the situation at Verdun. The War Lord of Germany
was entangled in the web of his own prestige. To General
Castelnau and General Joffre the operations at Verdun
assumed a new complexion. If they could bring up and
organise their forces in time, they had the enemy so fixed
that they could bleed white one of his largest armies.
They might also sap the strength of movements he was
preparing in other directions, by compelling him continually
to reinforce at all costs his Verdun army. Only so long
as they kept the Crown Prince out of Verdun could they
hold the Kaiser trapped in his own boasts, with all his
people waiting for the fulfilment of their high hopes, in an
intensity of spirit that might be an important moral factor
if cheated of success. Verdun had become more than a
military objective. For Germany its political and moral value
had become even greater than its strategical importance. It
was worth capturing Verdun at a cost of life that made the
capture equivalent, in terms of ultimate resources, to a defeat.
Two hundred thousand German casualties are alleged to
have been the Kaiser's estimate of the worth of Verdun.
All this, however, greatly aggravated the burden on the
mind of the new defender of the French frontier town,
General Petain, who, nevertheless, carried his burden
easily. Tall, fair, blue-eyed, of the northern stock of
France that has absorbed much Flemish blood, Petain
was radiant with energy of both character and mind. He
was only a colonel of the engineers in August, 1914, but while
developing his own special branch of knowledge and showing
a fine gift of leadership in the handling of infantry, he
became also a master-gunner — the new French heavy
howitzers being his favourite weapon. It was as the master-
gunner of France that he was brought by General Castelnau
to Verdun to fight against the two thousand guns of the
German phalanx, the largest pieces of which carried farther
than the French heavy howitzers immediately available.
General Pctain's Methods
General Petain, however, had a method of getting more
out of his howitzers than the manufacturers expected.
Even with his medium pieces he could often overpower
heavy enemy guns. He had, besides, worked out a method
by which he could use these medium pieces with the
flexibility of light field-artillery. But until he had con-
structed his telephone service, recovered the command of
the air, and got his guns into the special positions required
by his system, he had a desperately hard struggle to main-
tain his line and win time for completing his preparations.
After breaking against the Douaumont Ridge on February
26th, the German attack seemed to weaken. Fierce infantry
fighting continued at Douaumont village till the end of the
month. Then came an ominous period of calm, lasting three
days. The enemy was moving his enormous parks of guns
closer to Verdun. But the time thus spent by the Germans
was like a gift from heaven to General Petain. He threw
bridges over the Mcuse ; he augmented his gun power on
the western heights at Dead Man Hill and Charny Ridge,
making his flanking fire from this direction more deadly and
far-reaching ; he strengthened the Douaumont Plateau
defences, and poured in guns, ammunition, and fresh troops.
General Petain did not, however, pack liis infantry into
the restricted Verdun area. Under fire his men were
scattered but fresh, the main force being well out of range
of the German artillery, and used in short shifts at the
front. On the other hand, no German within five miles
of the French guns was safe. As the new French com-
mander's shell supply quickened, by his constant improve-
ment of his lines of communication, and as newly-rifled
guns arrived regularly to replace those worn by firing,
he gradually dominated the German artillery.
In continual drum-fire bombardments it was not only
shell stores that were spent, but the life of the heavy
ordnance. The wasting of shell accumulation and the
wearing out of the guns crippled the immediate offensive
power of a nation in a manner that no reserve of
man-power could supply. General Petain therefore had 1o
provoke the hostile artillery into constant action, as well
as induce the German infantry to fling itself against his
quick-firers and machine-guns. Thus, even if he could
have done so at once, it might not have been sound policy
to overwhelm the enemy with a large part of the French
accumulation of shell. Considerable subtlety in playing
upon the mind of the German commander was needed,
in order to induce him to exhaust all his resources thoroughly
while not doing any grievous damage to France.
General Petain was always willing to sell at a good price
the pieces of ground he did not want. On the first day
of his command he withdrew all French posts in the Woevre
Plain and placed them upon the high ground. But after-
wards he was not so sternly scientific in his concentrations
of force. Instead of evacuating his weak points, he
concealed machine-guns around them with observers at
the end of a telephone wire, which ran to a central exchange,
fiom which heavy guns by the hundred could be aimed.
This gave the Germans something strenuous to achieve,
and, going on the principle that the struggle was greater
than the prize, they had, after accomplishing their object,
something to celebrate in their communiques.
Abrupt Change in the Situation
In the first days of March they resumed their bombard-
ment and infantry attacks upon the Douaumont Plateau,
losing heavily, but not shifting General Balfourier's corps ;
but Douaumont had then become a place of secondary
importance. General Petain had not waited for bridging
material to transport his big guns across the Meuse. Instead
of concentrating round the spot at which the enemy was
striking, he ran his new heavy ordnance more quickly up
the Argonne Forest to the hills above Verdun, on the
opposite side of the stream. There, with a range of five
miles, he could sweep all the reserve, support, and firing
lines of the enemy's forces engaged on the front of three
and a half miles between Pepper Hill and Douaumont.
This abruptly changed the situation, as the Germans
viewed it. They had to take the hills across the Meuse —
Dead Man Hill and Charny Ridge especially — in order to
recover fully Jthe power of making mass attacks on the
Douaumont Plateau. So the tide of battle shifted — but
at the masterly direction of General Petain. The great
batteries at Beaumont swung round to westward to make
a flanking bombardment on the French positions across
the Meuse, and east of these positions another mass of
heavy German artillery near Montfaucon opened a hurricane
fire. Then on March 6th infantry assaults began. Forges
was taken at great cost, but the enemy could not debouch
from the hamlet on to the northern slopes of the Goose
Crest. The force that attempted to do so was shattered.
But the next day a fresh German division reached part of
the crest, and worked down the railway to Regneville, lying
over against Samogneux, with the river between. Again new
forces were deployed on March yth, and by another day of
hard and good fighting the German commander made a
brilliant stroke. He captured Crows' Wood (Bois des
Corbeaux) and Cumi^res Wood, from which a decisive
advance could be made on Dead Man Hill. If Dead Man
Hill fell, General Petain's power over the enemy's ground
across the Meuse would be seriously reduced, and his more
southerly position on Charny Wood would be menaced.
Attack on Fort of Vaux
He at once threw reinforcements towards Dead Man
Hill, and by an attack quite as fine as that of Balfourier's
corps at Douaumont, the division recovered the greater
part of the two woods. All the next day it withstood
frontal and flank attacks, with the enemy's guns pounding
it from the north, east, and south, the reverse fire coming
from German batteries across the river near Pepper Hill.
On March loth another fre:;h, large enemy force of some
20,000 infantry worked again through part of Crows' Wood
and Cumieres Wood, suffering frightful losses and achieving
no great result ; for all that General Petain had fought
for was time. He had gained more than forty-eight hours
in which to organise the works on and round Dead Man Hill
in the way lie wanted. This important advanced position
had now become safe — for the crucial time at least.
1867
Near Verdun Where War Was Fierce & Furious
French " 75 " gun the target of a Qerman
280 mm. weapon. The latter, however,
failed to hit the mark, though the state of the
ground proves that its shells fell near enough.
Striking proof of the undaunted heroism and ready resource of the French Army. During a fierce bombardment in the Verdun
sector the troops of our ally retired to a wood, and rapidly organised a new position by felling trees and digging trenches.
Inset: French Alpine Artillery on their way to the firing-line in the Vosges region.
1808
THE STRUGGLE FOR VERDUN
The enemy commander also needed lime io bring up
his guns to cover the ground he had won in the woodlands
and by the river. So there was a lull round Dead Man.
But on the distant eastern side of the Verdun salient the
German offensive was resumed with extreme violence.
The new objective was the Fort of Vaux, south-east of
Douaumont Fort, and connecting with it in the old system
of defence before the structures of armoured concrete were
emptied of guns. The fort on the plateau was approached
by a ravine in which lay the village of Vaux. Supported
by their heavy artillery 'in the Woevre Plain, the Germans
attacked round the mouth of the ravine on March gth,
and at night some 6,000 Poles got into the village, but
were scattered by a bayonet charge.
But, to the amazement of General Petain and his Start,
the Berlin wireless spread the news that the Posen Brigade
had stormed not only the hamlet in the hollow but the
fort on the plateau. Paris was perturbed, and General
Petain had to send one of his Staff officers to Vaux. He
found the garrison in merry mood, with the soldiers off
duty playing cards. They had neither won nor lost any
battle ; the enemy had not come near them. Meanwhile,
the German Staff discovered it had made a ridiculous mis-
statement, and tried to palliate its blunder by ordering
the fort to be taken. But General Petain now knew that
the Vaux sector had become important, and that if he
massed an unusual number of guns and men there, and
improved his means of bringing up shells, his labour would
not be wasted. Thus opened another general butchery of
Germans, slaughtered for the sake of Prussian prestige.
Vaux Fort had become Verdun in little. It had to be
captured to save the reputation of a race of braggarts.
Germans Show Signs of "Groggincss"
But it was not captured just then, though the struggle for
it we.nt on for weeks with increasing fury. Even by the
middle of March the ground below the fort was heaped
with greyish forms, where the dead and dying had rolled
down the slopes. In the ravine below the Germans, by
the end of March, won the eastern houses of the village,
but could not for long advance farther. Vaux Fort still
remained untaken, and the neighbouring Caillette Wood was
recovered early in April, thus strengthening both the
Douaumont and Vaux positions.
The Germans began to show definite signs of " grog-
giness." The chief among these signs was their tendency
to lies of a gross and childish nature. Their claim to the
capture of Vaux Fort* was possibly a bad mistake, due
to some eager Staff subordinate's misunderstanding. But
in the middle of March, when the Vaux attacks looked like
* Vaux Fort did not definitely fall to the enemy until June Oth, 1910; by
which time he had paid for it a terrible price. — Eu.
failing, the German Staff claimed the capture of Dead Man
Hill. They stormed the Dead Man by conveying the
name to a lower ridge of no decisive importance which
they had occupied. Challenged on the matter by the
French Staff, they tried to evade the charge of falsehood
by stating that the words " Mort Homme," as lettered on the
French map they used, extended to the lower ground. As
though the best-informed War Staff in the world did not know
every acre of ground near its own frontiers ! Most likely it
was an attempt to soothe the German people, whose anxiety
in regard to Verdun was turning into angry despondency.
Von Falkenhayn had increased the Crown Prince's army to
twenty-five divisions. In April he added five more divisions
to the forces around Verdun by weakening the effectives in
other sectors and drawing more troops from the Russian front.
It was rumoured that Von Hindenburg was growing restive,
and complaining that the wastage at Verdun would tell
against the success of the campaign on the Riga-Dvinsk
front, which was to open when the Baltic ice melted.
The Crown Prince's Gamble
Great as was the wastage of life, it was in no way imme-
diately decisive. But when the expenditure of shells
almost outran the highest speed of production of the
German munition factories, and the wear on the guns
was more than Krupp and Skoda could make good, there
was danger to the enemy in beginning another great offensive
likely to overtax his shell-makers and gun-makers. Von
Falkcnhayn's great concentration against our army, lor
example, remained perhaps only a silent demonstration
because of the shell and gun difficulty. There was, of course,
ample munition for a most violent and sustained attack,
but if after another operation like that at Verdun our line
was unbroken and our artillery power undiminishcd, it would
be difficult for the enemy to turn against re-armed Russia.
The attacks continued on the Heights of the Mouse,
and especially round Dead Man Hill, to the middle of
April. Victorious Verdun was still being blown up in
flaming ruin like Rheims and Ypres. Whenever an infantry
assault failed, the Germans hurled incendiary shells into
the unattainable town. Yet it was still to be attained
by their forces, only the price at which the Crown Prince-
was to be allowed to ride by Vauban's citadel was nun h
higher in April than it was in February. General Pehiin
was a hard bargainer. And he could not be left alone.
He had forcibly to be kept in the -position he occupied,
for if the force against him weakened he might in turn
employ his enormous artillery power to blast a path right
through the German lines. His position, at the eastern
corner of the long German line stretching to the sea, was very
menacing. Far from the Battle of Verdun being ended,
there were possibilities in it of a decisive develoument.
lough the bugler is not a conspicuous figure in modern warfare, the French Army boasted these musical units, and during the
rd fighting round Verdun the inspiriting notes of the bugle did much to steel our ally at critical moments. This photograph
shows bugler members of a French regiment practising their calls.
1869
Forest of Fire on the Slope of Dead Man's Hill
On the slope of Dead Man's Hill— a flery furnace set aflame by
German, incendiary shells. On March 6th, 1916, when the
enemy first attacked on the west bank of the Mouse, they were
repulsed on this sinister-named height, a French artillery
position of incalculable value. The combat was so furious that
the position became a veritable inferno. In addition to a terrific
bombardment, enemy aeroplanes circled overhead and rained
bombs on the French. When the German infantry advanced,
doubtless expecting to find the hill peopled only with the dead,
they were heavily countei — attacked by our irresistible ally.
1870
German Shrapnel Storm in the Valley of the Meuse
Desolate appearance of the neighbourhood of the Crown
Prince's offensive against Verdun, March, 1916. Shrapnel is
seen bursting in the centre of the photograph.
German shrapnel bursting in the environs of Verdun. These photographs were taken at the very considerable risk of the
operator, who was, in fact, severely wounded. Inset: Corner of reconquered Alsace. Impression of part of a former
German possession, now French again.
1871
En Avant ! For the Glory of France at Douaumont
When the German onslaught on the Douaumont position had the rolling white snowflelds, the flashing bayonets, the shining
all but succeeded, a staggering counter-blow was delivered. bugles and flaming Tricolour made as impressive a spectacle
, .
After waiting eighteen hours in the snow the French reserves
came into action, Bretons and Zouaves dashing forward
oblivious to the fearful storm of German shells. Blue, khaki,
as could be imagined. With an inspired courage the men of
France stemmed the German tide at the critical moment, sweeping
the enemy over the Douaumont Ridge, February 26th, 1916.
1872
Personalities and Pawns in the Verdun Contest
Types of German prisoners captured in the Verdun fighting
showing how the Prussian intantry had degenerated.
Artillery horse tethered to a post. Its rider and his comrades
were killed in the Verdun assault.
On the outskirts of Verdun. General Joffre himself made sure that the Prussian forces hurled against Verdun were on the
decline in point of physique and fighting power. Together with a number of Staff officers, he surveyed them critically.
Above is a photograph of the hero of Verdun, General Petain (in fur coat).
1873
Actualities from the Environs of Verdun
"on. of the chief factors which brought about the success of the French Verdun resistance was the excellent system of transport.
?o mlintain ihis thrm±t.sJ ^attention was paid to the route, to and from the battle zone. In some cases German pr.soner,
were detailed off to repair the roads, as seen in this photograph. ^
*•*
1874
Deserts of Debris Along the Wooded Meuse :
Breach made by a heavy shell in Fort Vaux, captured subsequently by
the Germans, together with the remnant of its heroic defenders. Right :
Impression of the debris of battle through an arch of Fort Souville.
Verdun The t t" rt" H ?"" °d "" th" 8"ne °f the m°8t ••"O"'""^ hand-to-hand encounter, in the struggle
Th.c?rct.ohotTnra h h C°n<"t'°n .<" the fleld and the Bettered trees give an idea of the deadlin.ss of these combats.
I. photograph shews . corner of th. fl.ld of Souville and the fragment, of an ammunition waggon shattered by a direct hit.
1875
Ferocious Fighting for the Great French Fortress
On the lelt an impression of the ground before Fort Souville broken to
a depth of many feet by German shells. Right : Trees in the Bois de
Cailletto blasted by the most terrible bombardment of the war.
General Mangin, the stalwart figure with his back to the camera, wearing a steel helmet, addressing his troops behind
the lines. General Mangin, another photograph of whom is inset, commanded one of the bravest French divisions before
Verdun, and became a popular hero of France. (The photographs on these two pages are exclusive.)
1876
With our Wonderful Ally near Louvemont & Vaux
French scouts creeping forward among the fire-swept trees to watch the enemy from a wood near Fort Vaux. It was In the
neighbourhood cf Vaux, to the north-east of Verdun, that the Germans hurled the fiercest of their onslaughts in February, 1916.
French infantry advancing on the heels of the disappearing enemy, after the successful counter-attack at Louve
north of Douaumont. on February £5th, 1916. The figures in the distance are the rearguard of the retreating Qer
emont ,
'mans.
1877
Lovely Settings for the Grim Drama of Verdun
Beautiful effect of the snow on the Vosges woods. It is hard to realise that in this dreamland of silver the most tremendous battle
in history was waged — the struggle for Verdun. Only the sombre Chasseurs Alptns in this picture recall the atmosphere of war.
Initial work in the construction of a light railway through a French wood. Many of these beautiful forest districts, which were
livening under the magic influence of spring, especially in the Verdun sector, were completely obliterated by bombardment.
1878
The End of the Line in the Sodden Pretre Wood
Posted in a densely-wooded corner of the Pretre Wood, these
two French soldiers, from behind the sand-bagged position,
Kept vigil for signs of Germans. With eyes and ears strained for
enomy movements, crouched down for hours on the saturated
earth, underneath dripping trees, such was the lot of the outpost.
A rude canopy suspended among the branches helped to screen
the men from the incessant rain and enemy airmen. The Bois
le Pretro is situated between Thiaucourt and Pont a Mousson.
1S79
A June Morning in the Caillette Wood
Throughout the terrible battles for Verdun our French ally
economised in man-power with skilful consistency. Thus her
losses were something like one-third of the enemy casualties,
which, even taking into consideration the fact that the attackers
always lose more heavily than the defenders, was surprisingly
small. The French plan was to employ a small number of
men in the fire trenches, and keep a large reserve out of
range of German shells. In this photograph reserve troops
of the Mangin Division are posted in the recaptured Caillette
Wood, waiting to relieve their comrades if necessary.
1880
After a Futile German Onslaught : Nightfall
"•HE German troops were hurled against Verdun with such
reckless prodigality that any attempt at an accurate
calculation of their casualties was futile. In massed formation
regiment after regiment paraded across the open ground only
to be decimated by the wonderful concentrated tire of thf
French mitrailleuse gunners. But few of the men succeeded in
getting as far as the French barbed- wire. At nightfall, during
the mighty days of the first Verdun offensive, the scene was
1381
omewhere on the French Line Before Verdun
tying. The light ol the setting sun revealed dark heaps
« German dead strewn all over the snow-covered plain. Such
a effect as that appearing in the above illustration was witnessed
.1 along the line. During a lull in the fighting two French
officers are surveying the stricken fields, while some steel-capped
soldiers are attending to the wounded in shell- battered trenches
and dug-outs. A Poilu, with an improvised bandage about his
head contemplates a broken bayonet with grim philosophy.
1SS2
Shambles ! A Warm Corner of the Verdun Sector
By April, 1916, not a building stood intact in the environs of Verdun, so terrific were the artillery bombardments. The devastation
apparent in this photograph is typical of the utter ruin in the region ol this epoch-making conflict. Inset: Bomb-proof billets
built of masonry by the French near Verdun.
18S3
The Shell-Ploughed Ridge of Douaumont
Official photograph of the shell— shattered slope before the Fort of Douaumont, where men were slaughtered in thousands
while trying to hold or take the fort upon the summit which, nevertheless, had long been dismantled and was
unimportant as a defence work to the French.
Battery of French " 76's " in action immediately behind Fort Douaumont. These guns were used alternately to repel
the German advances in massed formation and to bring down enemy aircraft.
1884
Over the Meuse and in the Heart of Verdun
During the prolonged siege of Verdun by the Germans, their guns continually poured projectiles into the citadel. This
impressive photograph, taken under heavy fire, shows a Verdun building in flames.
Impression Of a well-known thoroughfare at Verdun. The number of shells used by the Germans and French at
Every house suffered from bombardment. Verdun staggers the imagination. Here are a few "75" cases.
One of the many pontoons acrcss the Meuse leading to the Verdun zone. A French soldier is leading two transport
horses to ' do their bit" in this the most dramatic scene of the Great War. (Exclusive photograph?.)
1885
Frenzied Fighting Hand to Hand for Fort Vaux
The loss ol Fort Vaux, officially admitted by the French on
June 8th, 1916, was in reality a victory for our undaunted ally.
Not only did the Germans suffer incredible losses in the assault,
but the possession ot the fort itself did them no good, as the
splend id French guns prevented the enemy from using it. One
of the heroic incidents before the gallant defenders surrendered
is illustrated here. In a particularly murderous struggle in the
northern ditch of ihe fort the opposing ranks fought hand to
hand with knives, daggers, and revolvers. One French soldier
killed a German by using his steel helmet as knuckle-duster.
1886
Debris and Derelicts of the Verdun Storm
Ruins of Hennemont. A vivid impression of war's wreckage
and wastage. Under the shattered wall, half-buried in the
snow, is a mangled gun-carriage.
Some of the Germans captured during the thrust at Verdun being marched to the rear, to the delight of a few small boys still
remaining in the town. Inset : French officers Interrogating prisoners at Verdun..
1887
Petain's Heroes to and from the Battle-Front
On the war- way outside Verdun — a scene along a main road
behind the battle-line. Soldiers are marching to or from the trenches,
while women, .children, and old men, ordered to leave their homes,
are beginning their journey to safety.
Troops in reserve behind the Verdun fighting-line, eagerly awaiting the order to advance. Inset : Civilians about to leave the battle-zone.
At the beginning ol the fighting the military authorities required all civil inhabitants to leave the town and villages near the front.
1888
The Human Emplacement : For the Glory of France
An outstanding deed of heroism and resource, among the keep it blazing away at the Germans, ^^^ ""J™ £
many recorded in the great French resistance before Verdun, making a stable support for the gun. Th,s striking ?••*"" <»J
wasthatof two Zouaves with a mitrailleuse. The weapon having an ally artist represents the incident with " *""^^£™
fallen from its emplacement, one of the gunners, in order to dignity of which French .llustrators seem to pos
1889
THEWARILLUSTRATED-GALLERYoF LEADERS J5
<
1 1
\
i
GENERAL RETAIN: DEFENDER OF VERDUN
This distinguished French Commander organised our Ally's resistance
to the greatest artillery attack in the world's history
'
G i
1890
PERSONALIA OF
THE GREAT WAR
GENERAL PETAIN
GENERAL PETAIN burst upon the public vision
in February, 1916, when the unclean hordes
of the Teuton invader were launched in demoniac
fury at the long-threatened gates of Verdun, ostensibly to
batter a way through to Paris, actually to restore the waning
prestige of the decadent heir to the Hohenzollern throne.
Born and brought up in the famous fortified town of St.
Omer, in the Pas-de-Calais, in 1856, Henri Philippe Petain
was educated at the celebrated Military School at St. Cyr.
Tall, handsome, but of comparatively slight physique,
with blue eyes and fair hair, a gifted pianist and friend
of the great French composer, the Chevalier Claude Debussy,
he had found professional promotion very slow in the days
before General Joffre began his drastic work of reform.
It is understood that he held certain political-religious views
which did not commend themselves to his military superiors.
Be that as it may, on the eve of war he was about to be placed
on the Retired List — a simple colonel of Engineers at Arras.
The Opportunity To Do or Die
He would have retired gracefully enough to his hobbies,
music and congenial gossip : his chief concern the avoidance
of hay fever in summer, and the effects of cold in winter.
But with the coming of the great crisis came renewed
vitality, reawakened zeal, the opportunity to do or die for
his beloved France. That indomitable will, that strength
of character which was only known to his intimates, that
military genius so long hidden, suddenly flamed up in the
man and sent his name singing over the cables to all corners
of the civilised world as that of one of the most sensational
discoveries of the French defence — a master-gunner in a war
that was to be decided, if the Germans could have their
way, by the monster weapons created in the arsenals of
Krupp and Skoda.
Appointed to the command of the 4th Infantry Brigade,
General Petain displayed so much resourcefulness in the
withdrawal of the troops from Charleroi, that before the
first month of the war was over he was given the stars
of a brigadier-general. In the French Army, under General
Joffre, it was the custom to reward good service promptly
as well as with the right feeling. Thus the September
of 1914 was only a few days old when Brigadier-General
Petain was given a more important command, and this
step was soon followed by his promotion to the temporary
rank of a General of Division. Not only had he proved his
own complete serf-possession, it was found that everywhere
he spread around him an atmosphere of calm confidence.
The Victor of Massiges
In October, 1914, General Petain was placed in command
of the Thirty- third Army Corps, and he thoroughly justi-
fied his appointment in the heavy fighting in the vicinity
of Notre Dame de Lorette, Ablain-St.-Nazaire, Carency,
Souchez, and Neuville-St.-Vaast. In April, 1915, his
temporary rank was made permanent. In the following
June he was given the command of the Second Army. In
September and October he greatly distinguished himself
in the great French offensive in Champagne. These were
the days of the Vimy Ridge and Tahure, and the capture
of the hand-shaped down of Massiges. It was at Massiges
that General Petain first claimed special attention by his
effective use of heavy artillery, and so gave a direct chal-
lenge to the massed-gun tactics of the foe. The great
captures of German guns and men were due chiefly to
the precision of his arrangements. It is recorded that
during the fighting he covered three miles at the double
— to the lasting admiration of his men.
But he still remained comparatively unknown to the
world outside the fighting area. The surprise was yet to
come. It was precipitated by the combined efforts of
the German Crown Prince and Marshal von Haeseler to
break through at Verdun, after a series of feints or
"feelers" all along the allied front from the sea-coast
to the Alps. The position before Verdun was a
naturally strong one. Its defences had been strengthened
by General Sarrail. But it was held lightly by a force
of Territorials. Chasseurs, and Colonial troops under General
Herr. The immediate result of the enemy onslaught
was that the French front lines had to give way. Their
trenches were simply obliterated by bombardment.
General Petain's Call to Verdun
On February 26th, 1916, when Fort Douaumont was
lost, the Kaiser and his Staff, including Von Falkenhayn,
arrived to witness the great victory they anticipated. But
on that very morning General de Castelnau also appeared
on the scene, with instructions from General Joffre to hold
the fortress. Taking over the command, General de
Castelnau organised the brilliant counter-attack by
General Balfourier and the iamous Twentieth Army Corps,
which drove the enemy off the plateau and restored Douau-
mont to the French. General de Castelnau's next " light-
ning move " was to summon General Petain and his army.
It was then, as already remarked, that Petain " burst
upon the public vision."
Days extended into weeks, and weeks lengthened into
months, but despite all they could do, despite the most
awful sacrifices of men, and the massing of their huge
guns, the Germans, though they gained some ground, were
denied possession of their objective. The Kaiser retired
as he retired before Nancy. France thrilled with the
discovery of a second Bayard.
His View of the Soldier's First Duty
A general with an extraordinary capacity for work and
a master of scientific tactics, qualities only partially
appreciated by his superiors before the war, many stories
are told of General Petain's belief that it is the soldier's
first duty to keep himself fit.
He held strict views as to diet. For example, it has been
said of him that he measured out his food daily, arguing
that cavalry horses were rationed according to physiological
requirements, and that an officer should similarly ration
himself so as to get the possible maximum of mental and
physical yield. One item in his daily exercises was a
matutinal ten minutes with a skipping-rope. We are
told that in the event of no other point of 'vantage pre-
senting itself, he never hesitated to climb a tree to obtain
a view of the enemy's position. His energy in the organisa-
tion of the field defences of Verdun was displayed in such
rapid travelling by armoured motor-car, that he had
fourteen chauffeurs in two months. No one man could
stand the nerve-strain of driving at such high speed for
more than a day or two together.
On the Roll of the Legion of Honour
General Petain had no use on his staff for ornamental
" brass hats." His immediate subordinates had to be
expert cyclists or trained athletes. But with a Napoleonic
faith in the old adage that an army fights on its stomach,
his care in seeing that his men were well fed was as remark-
able as were his scientific tactics. On the day when his
reserve corps re-took Douaumont Fort they had been served
first of all with a good square meal of soup, meat, and
pannikins of hot coffee. For selected soldiers, according
to a writer in the " Petit Journal," he obtained the privilege
that they should not dig trenches, the condition being
that they should form a corps d'elite for the storming of
the trenches of the enemy.
On April a8th, 1916, the name of General Petain was
inscribed on the special tablet of the Legion of Honour as
Grand Officer, with the following note :
He is a most valuable General Officer. Since the
beginning of the war he has not ceased, as commander,
successively, of a brigade, of a division, of an army corps,
and of an army, to give proof of the most remarkable
military qualities. By his calmness and firmness, and
the skilfulness of his positions, he has been able to adjust
a most delicate situation, and to inspire all with confidence.
Thus he has rendered his country most important services.
On May £th, 1916, General Petain was appointed Com-
mander-in-Chicf of the central armies, covering a front of
about one hundred and twenty miles between Soissons (on
the Aisne) to Verdun, inclusive, General Neville succeeding
him as head of the special army defending Mort-Homme.
1891
They called you decadent, corrupt, and light.
Because you loved, and feasted in the sun.
And plucked Life's roses ere their petals fell.
Nor guessed the bitter wisdom of past years
Had taught you laughter, just to hide your wounds.
But when your ancient enemy's guns were heard
You threw aside the roses, left unkissed
The wooing mouth, unloosed the clinging arms.
Vour soul awoke and flamed into a sword
That thrust for freedom and long-smouldering wrongs.
0 France, your star Has never shone so clear,
So glorious ; your patriot spirit burns
A s ardently as ever. And they know —
Who called you decadent — they know they wronged
you, France ! — KITTY LOFTING
With the Glorious
Armies of France
Dual to the death between hereditary foes: French and German patrols at handgrips.
1892
BATTLE PICTURES OF THE GREAT WAR
The French Swoop on Peronne
By EDWARD WRIGHT
THE Germans had long since known that France
was using all her finest troops round Verdun. At
Douaumont the Germans had been forced back
by the supreme French fighting force — the famous Iron
Division, which had won the Battle of Nancy, broken
the German centre on the Marne, and made its first
commander, General Foch, the hope of his country. With
the Iron Division was another superb division of Bretons,
who formed, with the Ironsides, the 2oth French Army
Corps under G.neral Balfourier. The Germans knew
these troops were at Verdun, because they had been
defeated by them.
They also knew that General Petain had brought with
him from Champagne to Verdun an army corps, composed
of the Colonial Division and the Moroccan Division, which
had conquered the Hand of Massiges in the Battle of
Champagne in September, 1915. The Colonials and the
Moroccans had made the fame of General Petain even as
the Iron Division had made the fame of General Foch.
And the Germans had the satisfaction of knowing that so
long as they continued to batter at Verdun, they would
retain there the two finest French Army Corps.
But another French general had recently risen to power
in the same way as Foch and Petain. His name was General
Fayolle. He had fought in Artois under Foch, and in
Champagne alongside Petain. Foch asked for him in view
of the allied offensive on the Somme, and General Fayolle
was given any troops he cared to select. Naturally,
he took the best, and when the Germans, towards the
end of June, 1916, were making their supreme effort
against Verdun, there were only regiments of the Line
opposed to them.
Veterans from Verdun
The divisions of the 2oth Corps were travelling by
rail and motor to the Somme, and after them came their
rival in tenacity and veteran valour, the Colonial Division,
with the Moroccan Division. The two army corps had
naturally suffered considerable loss in the Verdun battles,
but they were brought up to full strength by picked young
men from the farms of Brittany and from the French
plantations in Northern Africa. The corps were much
strengthened by the new young blood ; they had the
vehemence and swing of youth, harnessed to the most
experienced skill in fighting known in history.
While thus the spearhead of France was being directed
towards the new point of attack, the German General Staff
was being misled by the combined efforts in deception of
General Joffre and General Foch. From the opening of
trench warfare on the western front, General Joffre had
fixed on the little town of Peronne as a point towards which
a thrust must be made. So he gave orders that Peronne
and the country round about should not be disturbed, and
when General Foch took over the control of the north-
western front he followed the policy of his Commander-in-
Chief and imposed it upon our troops. The British forces
along the Somme became known as " the Deathless Army,"
because they had so little fighting to do. Worn brigades
from Ypres and the Lille Ridge used to be sent towards
Peronne to enjoy a rest cure.
Successful Ruse Round Peronne
The idea, of course, was to lull the enemy into a feeling
of complete security, at the point where the French com-
mander intended to launch a grand attack when France
and Britain could equal the enemy in heavy artillery
power. Simple as the scheme was for making the Germans
round Peronne easy and unsuspicious, it succeeded. From
October, 1914, to July, 1916, the Sixth German Army
under General von Einem, had practically no work to do'
The apparent weakness of the French and British forces
opposed to him once made Einem over-confident and he
attempted to thrust along the Somme River and break the
junction point of the Allied Armies at the village of Frise.
He lost more than a division, and was thrown off the hills
he won, but allowed to retain Frise. General Foch appre-
ciated the geographical situation better than did Einem,
and thought that if Frise was in the hands of the Germans
it would be the easiest possible place at which to break
the enemy lines.
Frise lies in a marsh threaded by the Somme Canal and
the Somme River. On either side of the marsh rise the
white cliffs of the great chalk tableland of Santerre. On the
southern bank the river and the canal make a great bend,
carving the mass of chalk into a large low promontory, at
the eastern base of which nestles the romantic city of
Peronne, by a marsh some two miles broad. Beyond the
marsh, on the German side, are high ridges of chalk, where
the main German heavy batteries dominated Peronne and
the river valley. From the German point of view, Peronne
was not worth taking by the French, for if the French •
reached Peronne they would be faced by the wide
marsh and the ridges of trenched and galleried chalk,
concealing guns that could hammer Peronne to ruins.
But it was on this German view of the situation that
Joffre and Foch had built. The French commander did
not want Peronne, but only the great chalk promontory
immediately west of it, and we shall afterwards see
why he wanted this promontory.
Charge of the French Colonials
The action of the British forces north of the Somme
River seems to have been designed merely to assist the
French swoop on Peronne. As our force at Gommccourt
helped our more southerly force at Montauban, so our
army at Montauban, with the aoth French Corps that
fought beside it, helped General Fayolle's main force that
advanced towards Peronne. When, on Midsummer Day,
our guns began their terrific bombardment, General Foch
also opened fire between the Somme and the Aisne. His
principal weight of metal, however, was at first thrown on
the Roye sector, some twenty miles south of Peronne. In
other words, he feinted with his artillery fire in much the
same way as did Sir Douglas Haig. But at dawn on
July ist, 1916, some hundreds of the gigantic new French
howitzers were rapidly massed along their light railway
lines behind the French trenches on the Somme, and with
the rest of the French artillery they completely shattered
the German earthworks at Dompierre. Here the French
Colonial Division charged with remarkably slight losses.
General Petain' s Trick of Attack
More experienced than some brigades of our New Army,
they were not caught in the rear by enemy machine-guns
when they advanced into the second, third, and fourth lines
of German trenches. In Champagne, in September, 1915,
Petain had taught the French Colonials a trick of attack
which prevented any German surprise. Each French com-
pany was divided into a charging force, mainly armed with
bayonets, and a clearing force, mainly armed with hand
grenades. When a long stretch of German trench was
won, the charging force climbed over it, while the clearing
force stayed behind and entered every dug-out, house,
cellar, and tunnel, and smashed the German machine-
gunners.
The Colonial Division is said to have had only a hundred
men killed in the Dompierre action. The men, however,
did not go far. They walked to their goal, instead
of running, and their officers held them strongly back
when they reached the line that had been assigned
to them. The French regiments in action had been
through the furnace of Verdun, and it was easy, there-
fore, to restrain them from becoming impetuous. For
they knew what would happen to them if they went
beyond the limit of tUe full power of curtain fire from
their artillery. [Continued on page 1894
1893
With General Foch Advancing on the Somme
French reserves awaiting the signal to advance in the Somme region
where the redoubtable General Foch conducted our ally's offensive.
M. Briand, the French Prime Minister, taking tea with a British general on the occasion of his visit to the British front.
Inset : Characteristic portrait of General Foch. the brilliant French leader In the Somme.
THE FRENCH SWOOP ON PERONNE
(CoMlnued from page 1892).
AH that happened was that they did the work assigned
to them with swift precision and almost mechanical regu-
larity. Covered by their guns, they killed every enemy
that showed fight, and killed him with their ancient fierce-
ness of attack. But not a man of them got drunk with the
lust of battle, and attempted to go beyond the limit of
advance fixed by General Fayolle. In Dompierre, where
seventeen hundred Germans had been killed by shell fire,
the rest of the brigade were slain and wounded by the
charging force and the clearing force, and then in the hunt
through the cellars and caverns a remnant of seven hundred
prisoners was taken. At Becquincourt, close to Dompierre,
the hamlet was stormed, and farther south at Fay the gap
in the first German line was widened.
Lessons Learnt in Champagne
There were practically no charges in the old-fashioned
style. The French troops went forward in single file, at
very wide intervals, under an arch of shells from their guns.
At a certain distance from the hostile position each file
fanned out into lines of walking men in open order. If the
advanced slow thin line met with any resistance what-
ever, the men fell flat and sought for cover, while their
telephone operator or aerial scout communicated with the
batteries and brought, with great rapidity, a hurricane of
closely placed shells upon the obstacle. This method of
attack was a speciality of General Fayolle. He saw nothing
of the battle, but sat with his staff at a central telephone
exchange, at which he could bring thousands of his guns to
bear, in less than a minute, on any point at which he
learnt his troops were being held up. His manner of
sending his divisions out in single file, so that they presented
a target only a yard broad to the enemy's guns, appears
to have been his own invention. The device of the central
telephone exchange for handling all the guns in mass was
something he had learnt in Champagne from General
Petaia.
The Germans wasted shells by the hundred thousand in
trying to break up, by a great curtain fire, the non-existing
lines of charging French infantry. The enemy gunners
could not discern the new French tactics of file advance.
Their observation balloons had been either destroyed or
forced to descend, as trr; French had brought against them
a new instrument consisting of an explosive rocket fired from
a small gun carried in an aeroplane. The German scouting
machines and fighting machines had also been driven
from the front by a grand French aerial attack. Moreover,
the country was veiled in morning mist, so the German
gunners on the distant chalk ridges could not see what was
happening. Nearly all their telephonic communications
had been destroyed by the monster French shell, which
was charged with a new explosive of much greater power
than lyddite or trinitrotoluene.
Mereaucourt Portress Reduced to Ruins
For all practical purposes, therefore, the German gunners
were blind. All they could do was to maintain by the map
a heavy curtain fire over the first French line, and over
the No Man's Land between the barbed wire fences. The
result was that the very widely separated single files of
attacking divisions received only some chance shrapnel
bullets, and many of these bullets were turned by the
French steel helmet. The Colonials and Moroccans, in an
action lasting three hours, took and occupied four lines
of German trenches, from Dompierre to Fay, and then
worked with tremendous energy in erecting new parapets
and building new machine-gun positions.
Behind them the rest of the army laboured, with still
more intense and sustained energy, in prolonging the
light railways down which the great howitzers moved,
in digging pits for guns and chambers for shells, and in
bringing up munitions of war. The modern soldier is
in the first place a navvy, and only in the second place
a rifleman and grenade thrower. For one ounce of blood
he sheds in a victory, he has first to pour out gallons of
perspiration.
But the next day these great labours for the advancing
artillery gave General Fayolle a larger command over
the promontory of Santerre. There was only one wood
of importance on the tableland — Mereaucourt Wood,
running east of Frise, with a prolongation towards Peronne
known as Chapitre Wood. Mereaucourt Wood was an
immense fortress, consisting of redoubts quarried in the
chalk and covered with cupolas of armoured steel. Beneath
the cupolas were heavy howitzers as well as pieces of field
artillery. But no armoured steel could withstand the
shattering force of the new giant French shells, which
were more than a ton in weight.
On the morning of July 2nd the labyrinthine fortress
of Mereaucourt was an utter ruin, though no Frenchman
had attempted to set foot in it. When the Colonials
advanced they took Frise as easily as they had taken
Dompierre, and walking through the chaos of chalk, that
had once been a wood, they occupied it and built a
parapet near the cross-road running from Feuilleres to
Assevillers. All night and all day the fire of the light
and heavy French guns continued, hundreds of them
being again moved forward, while thousands continued
the overwhelming bombardment. The Germans had
some forty thousand infantrymen originally holding
the attacked positions, and the larger part of these
men were put out of action by French gun fire. Before
Einem could bring up two army corps of reinforcements.
General Fayolle broke the centre of the second German
line at Herbecourt, captured the northern German wing
position at Feuilleres and the southern German wing
position at Estrees.
This happened on July 3rd, when the French infantry
were still working very close to their guns. The German
commander seems to have miscalculated the range of the
new French artillery. For he sent forward in daylight a
considerable part of his reinforcements, and they were
caught and broken by the French gunners. French
airmen circled only five hundred feet above their
infantry, watching all their men's movements, and
wirelessing to their batteries if any obstacle or counter-
attack menaced the advance. Above the lowest squadrons
• of aerial scouts there were level over level of French
flying men, some reconnoitring, others observing for the
guns, with, at twelve to thirteen thousand feet, the
supreme conquerors of the Fokkers, ambushed in clouds
and guarding all the aerial fleet from attack.
General Fayolle' s Success at Santerre
By midnight, July 3rd, the French had penetrated more
than four miles into the German lines. Some days of rain
and thick weather then enabled the German commander
to bring up reinforcements, and to make a great counter-
attack which completely failed, owing to the fact that the
French were completely covered by their guns. These
guns were able to move forward through the curtains of
rain without their movements being espied, and on July gth.
the southern Battle of the Somme was practically won.
The new monster guns then had a network of light rail-
ways running to the highest point of the conquered pro-
montory. They shattered the hamlet of Biaches, three
quarters of a mile from Peronne ; and when Biaches was
occupied by the French infantry the guns were turned on
the neighbouring high ridge of La Maisonette, which was
also stormed by our Allies.
Along the northern bank of the Somme the Iron Division
kept in line with the British advance, and carried the villages
of Curlu, Hem, and Hardecourt. But their work was only
valuable at this stage of the advance in so far as it cleared
the ground for the great guns on the Santerre promontory,
south of the river.
From the promontory, General Fayolle began to smash,
by long distance fire, the vital railways and important
canals that knotted at Peronne. The town was useless
to him at the time. He could not use it until the British
Army and the French aoth Army Corps curved round it
from the north-west. But from the promontory in the
bend of the Somme the French howitzers and monster
cannon were able to break the two German railway lines
of supply that fed the great enemy salient round Noyon,
and also to reach the railway that ran towards Laon and
helped to feed and munition the German front along the
Aisne. Fayolle had cut one of the main arteries of the
invading armies, and he had done it with such slight losses
that his method of attack became at once even more famous
than that of Petain.
1895
In France by Rivulet and Silver Birch
French dragoons on patrol duty. With the reconnoitring lancers suggesting a picturesque aspect of war, and the landscape typical
of Nature's allurements in Northern France, the camera has succeeded in capturing a scene that might be from the brush of a painter.
Scouting party of steel-capped French cavalrymen halting on the edge of a wood In the North of France to water their horses in a
• unlit pond by the wayside after a long and dusty ride during reconnoitring duty.
1806
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1897
Cave Men and Cavalry in the French Lines
Storing cases of ammunition in a cave on the French front. The French were fortunate in possessing many caves at various
points along the lines, for, being safe from enemy shells or aircraft bombs, they formed perfect storehouses for ammunition.
French mounted outpost patrol, somewhat reminiscent of Cromwell's Ironsides with their steel helmets, riding through a village
in the region of Verdun.
1898
The Mansion in Ruins and the Cottage Intact
evic, which had been destroyed
1S99
A Shattered Sanctuary in Meurthe and Moselle
The beautiful church of Magnieres in the Meurthe and Moselle sector on the west front, which to-day stands roofless
and in ruins after being desecrated in the course of bombardment. This is one of many sacred edifices in France which
were caught In the maelstrom of war, and whose sculptured masonry has been shattered by high explosives.
1900
French Hussars in the Trenches as Infantrymen
French Hussars as infantrymen on duty in the trenches.
nset : Two French soldiers on the shore of an ice-bound lake
in the Meurthe and Moselle sector.
French Hussars passing through a village in the battle-zone on their way to take a turn of duty in the trenches.
all belligerents adapted themselves readily to the modern conditions of warfare.
The cavalry of
1901
Warm Corner Amid Pines of the Snowy Vosges
Abounding in pine woods, this sector of the French line was one
of the most attractive on the front, and during a snowfall presented
a weirdly beautiful appearance. Verdun being in the Vosges
sector, these forests were subjected to the most terrific bom-
bardment of the war, and large territories were laid waste. This
impression, taken at evenfall, shows a group of French officers
warming themselves at a camp-fire, and recounting stories of
the great Qerman offensive.
1902
1903
Young Ears That Heard the Cacophony of War
Motherless children of Italian soldier* at an institution
where they were well cared for
Left : Village children "camping out" with French troops in the North
of France. Above : Mark of friendship between combatant and neutral.
Scottish officer offering chocolate to a tiny Greek maiden at Salonika.
- ^^^^^^^»^^ MHM^. ***^wj^m*i*m^mttmamtmmm*mm:^mmmmmmmmmm
French pedlars, during a visit to a British camp at the front, selling their wares to interested " Tommies " who, in spite of thei
scanty French, still managed an exchange of pleasantries. In some French villages within sound of the guns there remaine
many peasant women and children, who refused to leave their homesteads behind the firing-lines.
TO face page 1805
190j
Against the Foe Through Wire and Wattles
Frenchmen cautiously cutting their way through enemy entanglements. Thousands of miles of wicked wires were twisted across
Europe, and no man could tell whether any one was not a communication cord, to sever which would signal his presence to the foe.
A French advanced look-out post on the top of a hill, a pinnacle of peril where the tiniest faggot Is a friendly shelter,
and the smallest loophole through which the eye can peer may be • gate for death to enter.
lll'JG
Scenes and Incidents Along the French Front
ules carrying munitions for mitrailleuses. A Qerman shell
falling among a herd of these animals, sixty were killed
outright by the explosion.
Faulty shell of large calibre which failed to explode
Neatly constructed French trench. A wood flooring was laid Dummy cannon mounted on a carriage, a device used to dr
down and the walls were consolidated with wattles. and waste Qerman ammunition.
r*
" rrwsjrsar a -" Fr-h ••»•• •• —- r^T^ivtSr^--- - ••*«• -'
1907
The Vivandiere: A Romantic Figure Recalled
Th. vivandiire, that romantic and essentially French figure soldiers. There is an element of the old-time v.vandiere, how-
conspicuous in Napoleonic wars, has dropped out of Btep with ever, about this light-hearted photograph from the French front,
modern campaigning, where marching is minimised by rail but the drummer-woman did not follow the French arm.es to
t™nsport and nearly. very woman is engaged in more practical victory. She is merely the deputy town-cr.er of « village in
If "ess picturesque work than selling cigarettes and liquor to Northern France in the absence of her husband with the Colours.
1908
Moroccan Spahis to Aid Europe's Deliverance
Spahis, or French Moroccan troops, training somewhere in
France for service on the west front.
French Colonial soldiers learning the principles of siege Types of dusky Moroccan warriors, one of whom has gained
warfare. two medals for gallantry in action.
Spahis moving across a wide French plain in a body with rifles and bayonets at the ready. These Moroccan warriors
pro among the most dashing and picturesque soldiers in the world, and are never happier than when engaged in mortal
combat. They performed good work tor France.
1909
To the War by Wire in the Snowy Vosges
During a great war necessity is more than ever the prolific
mother of invention, and it is doubtful if any period produced
so many Innovations as that of the first two years of the
war. In the Vosges, where mountainous country makes
rail transport an impossibility, the enemy erected a wire
railway, and this illustration, reproduced from a German
paper, shows the novel means of communication in working
order near Hartmannsweilerkopf.
1910
1911
The Daily Jaunt to 'No Man's Land' and Back
French bandsmen marching to the firing-line, there to hearten their comrades with "the spirit-stirring drum, th' ear-piercing
fife," before advancing to attack a German position.
Spacious though muddy " courtyard " of a French trench. The man on the right is wearing a leather cloak as an additional guard
against the cold and rain. Right : Sentries within the buttressed walls of a French firing-trench on the watch for an expected gas
cloud. The hanging boxes contain respirators ready for instant distribution. Note the direction-boards on the corners of the "streets."
Along a main road leading from the stress of battle to the comparative quiet of billets. Steel-helmeted Frenchmen, heavily laden,
on their way from the firing-line trenches for a well-earned rest at their billets near the base.
1912
French Dogs of War Decorated for Field Service
Serbian boy and his war dog, Flock, with the French officer who saved
them in Serbia. Right: Canine he roes about to be decorated with gold collars.
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Some of the French war dogs that wsre mentioned in despatches lor their services in finding the woundsd and acting as
id publicly decorated with gold collars. Inset: Laustic, one of the splsndid war dogs which won the " Collier d'Honneur."
1913
Poison Masks for School Children of Rheims
Comedy and tragedy blend curiously in these two illustrations.
These little children of France may be considered to have been in
the fighting-line. Dally they attended their school in Rheims,
within range of German shells, wearing respirators. Such an
antithesis of civilisation It would be hard to find. And to think
that this might have happened in some city in England had it not
been for the twenty-one miles off sea separating us from the
Continent — and naval supremacy !
I I'M
French Colonials Getting into Fighting Fettle
Algerian Tirailleurs in training. Numbers of these native
soldiers proved their worth as fighters for ths Tricolour.
France's sturdy coloured warriors from Algeria learning to dig trenches and to wage war by European methods.
Inset: Algerians, or Turcos," at firing practice in one of the cleverly-masked trenches near their training camp.
1915
Russia's Glorious Rally to Her Wonderful Ally
The appearance ot the Slav soldier on the west front did much to inspire our French ally with greater hope and confidence.
As the typical Russian fighting men, armed with long bayonets and carrying greatcoats slung round them in bandolier
fashion, passed along the French roads, the populace hailed them with unbounded enthusiasm and jubilation.
What must the German General Staff have thought of the Russian*, on whom they hoped to impose a separate peace attar
Warsaw ? The glorious loyalty of Tsardom to the cause was symbolised by her sending thousands of troops to fight in the
land of her ally and by her second offensive on the whole Austrian front. This photograph shows some Russian soldiers entraining.
Nothing could have been more acceptable to the Germans than the power to impose peace on the Allies in May, 1916.
The resolution of the Tsar to fight on until victory was achieved, in view of the physical resources of Imperial Russia,
was in itself an urgent reason why the Central Empires should strive to stop them.
1916
1917
Music and Menu Amid the Debris of Battle
Scene in the music-room of a French chateau, stripped by the enemy of every ornament and piece of furniture save the piano,
which was left intact. One of the French officers is going through a solo, while his comrade is studying a book of music.
The ravenous hunger of Mars. Poilus on leave from the trenches attack their rations with conspicuous determination.
Scene in a retreat just behind the foremost lines, where the French were holding back the enemy.
1918
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1919
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GENERAL FOCH
He directed the French attack on the Somme. July, 1916,
and in 1914 defeated the Germans on the Marne
1920
THE GREAT WAR GENERAL FOCH, G.C.B.
FERDINAND FOCH'S name will endure when many
men as well or better known at the present day
will have been forgotten. His is the rare case of
the student who has been able to put his life-long theories
into successful practice, to bring, for example, as much
severely logical intelligence to bear on the art of war as
the bes't of the German generals, and to adopt and to beat
them in their favourite methods of " spear-head attack,"
with the great and outstanding difference and distinction
that genius ever displays against even the most highly-
trained talent. Reviewing the first year of the war, a
careful critic declared that General Foch " had some
claims to be considered the first soldier in Europe."
A Subaltern in the War o! 1870-71
Born in the same year — 1851— as General Joffre, and a
native of the same part of the dear land of France — the
Pyrenees — General Foch entered the world-conflict with
the ease and grace of a young man ; slim of figure, rapid
and precise in speech, with the piercing grey-blue eyes of
a man capable on the instant of translating thought into
action. He studied for the Army at Fontainebleau, and
first saw service as a subaltern in the Franco-Prussian
War of 1870-71, taking part in the fierce fighting round
Sedan. At the age of twenty-six he was given a captaincy
in an artillery regiment.
A Staff appointment followed, then an artillery command
at Vincennes. From 1896 to 1901 he was professor of
strategy and tactics at the Ecole de Guerre. No one man
did more than he to fashion the pattern of the modern
soldier of France. Some of his lectures were published,
notably those on " The Principles of War," " The Conduct
of War," and " Tactics of the Battlefield." They quickly
reached the status of military classics in every European
country.
In 1903 General Foch became a colonel, and four years
later a general ; while from 1907 till 1911 he was Com-
mandant at the Ecole de Guerre and a member of the
French General Staff. Later he held the Governorship of
Nice ; then he was appointed to the command of the Eighth
Army Corps at Bourgcs. In 1912 he was head of the
French Mission which attended the manoeuvres of the
British Army. When war broke out he was commanding
the Twentieth Corps at Nancy, where he was frequently
the host of officers of the British Staff. His first opportunity
for putting his theories to the test came in Lorraine.
The Victor o! the Marne
In command of the new Ninth Army, General Foch came
into touch with the enemy early in September, 1914, near
Sezanne, and after, with masterly skill, conducting a three
days' retirement between Sezanne and Mailly, he was able
to turn upon the foe, and, by driving a wedge between the
forces of Von Biilow and Von Hausen, and smashing the
Prussian Guards opposing his centre into the marshes of
St. Gond, he contributed materially — perhaps more than
any other individual commander — to the crucial victory of
the Marne.
At the Battle of the Aisne, Foch greatly distinguished
himself in the fighting around Rheims. Then began that
wonderful co-operation between him and the British
Commander-in-Chief, to which Lord French's official
despatches bear eloquent witness, when Foch was in control
of the French forces operating north of Noyon and Com-
pi^gne.
A dramatic story is told in this connection. In the
early hours of a grey November morning, when the
British were being hardly pressed, and it seemed as though
prudence directed a retirement, General Foch is reported
to have broken into the deliberations with the remark:
" The Germans have sixteen corps in front of us ; with
yours, we have only ten. If you retire, I shall have only
eight. I give you my word as a soldier, I will die rather
than retire. Give me yours."
General French listened in silence. Then he grasped
General Foch firmly by the hand. The understanding was
mutual. .The thin British line held its ground, though
every available unit was called into the fray. But in the
end the Germans suffered one of the most sanguinary defeats
in their history.
In December, 1914, during his first visit to the western
front, King George invested General Foch with the Grand
Cross of the Bath.
A Leader on the Somme
After the first battle of Ypres, when his co-operation
with the British undoubtedly saved Calais, and the battle
of Soissons, which again left him with a greatly enhanced
reputation as a strategist, General Foch directed the French
offensive between Arras and Lens, in May, 1915, and his
activities during the ensuing twelve months fully justified
General Joffre's action in entrusting him with the conduct
of the French operations on the Somme in July, 1916,
when, with re-created armies, and the aid of General
Fayolle, he organised the great thrust at Peronne, the
brilliant character of which aroused the admiration of all
competent observers.
This thrust provided an admirable object-lesson not
only in the unity of action in the French command, but of
the general superiority of French tactics — and French
patience. To take the last-mentioned point first, it became
generally known during the fighting on the Somme that
General Joffre had fixed upon the little town of Peronne
as an objective as far back as the date of the German
stand on the Aisne. But, despite their spies and all their
elaborate schemes for gaining intelligence, the enemy were
successfully lulled into a feeling of security. The country
round Peronne was left alone until the hour had struck
for the allied offensive. Then Foch knew the man for the
work — General Fayolle- — an old colleague of his in Artois,
and one who had also fought with Petain in Champagne.
His Favourite Maxim
One of General Foch's favourite maxims is " Find out
the weak spot of your enemy, and deliver your blow there."
" But suppose, general," remarked an officer of his Staff,
" that the enemy has no weak spot ? " " In that case,"
was Foch's terse reply, " make one." Although born with
the brain of a mathematician, General Foch never made
the Teuton mistake of regarding war as an exact science.
He never lost sight of the mental and moral factors essential
to victory. He proved himself a philosopher as well as
an exponent of strategy and tactics.
For an officer he maintained that discipline meant a
thorough apprehension of an order ; in other words, not
the execution of orders in so far as they appear suitable
or reasonable to the officer to whom they are given, but
just " action in the sense of orders received." As for the
men in the ranks, he made it his care consistently to get
into personal contact with as many as possible, to find
out and remove merely irksome and useless regulations,
and, to the fullest extent of his power and opportunity, to
improve the health and general well-being of all under his
command.
Admiration lor the British Soldier
An old friend of Lord French, he entertained before the
war the highest belief in the splendid fighting qualities of
the British soldier. During the British Army manoeuvres
in 1912, already referred to, he said to Sir John French,
" Your cavalry and artillery are excellent. Your infantry ?
Well, I would sooner fight with it than against it." Two
years later, to the day almost, when he was visited at
Doullens by the British Commander-in-Chief, he recalled
the words he had spoken at Aldershot, adding : "I did
not imagine then that the time would so quickly arrive
when we should be fighting side by side ; but now that
it has come, and now that I have had more than one oppor-
tunity of proving the worth of your splendid soldiers,
I can repeat and amplify all I then said, and with tenfold
emphasis." The British, on their part, soon learned to
appreciate at their proper worth the great gifts and com-
pelling personality of the French generalissimo's right-hand
1921
Marching on Tanga, marching the parched plain
Of wavering spear-grass past Pangani river,
England came to me — me who had always la'en
But never given before — England, the giver,
In a vision of three poplar-trees that shiver
On still evening!, of summer, after rain,
By Slapton Ley, where reed-beds start and quiver
When scarce a ripple moves the upland grain.
Then I thanked God that now I had suffered pain
A nd, as the parched plain, thirst, and lain awake
Shivering all night through till cold daybreak:
In that I count these sufferings my gain
And her acknowledgment. Nay, more, would fain
Suffer as many more for her sweet sake.
— A Member of the British Expeditionary Force,
Marago-Opuni, German East Africa. June, 1916.
The
Conquest
of
German
East Africa
General Smuts, in command of the Imperial forces against German East Africa, making observations from his armoured car.
D i, I 5
1922
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Tho Last Qerman Co.ony, East Africa, where a number ot successes in March, 1916, marked the oponing of General Smuts' offensive.
Portugal having definitely thrown in her lot with the Allies, March 10th, 1916, the colony was practically surrounded, with the Belgian
Congo on the west, b.E. Africa on the north, and sea-power on the east.
1923
British Drive into German East Africa
Something to surprise the natives. British naval gun arrives
on behalf of the Empire in East Africa.
German fort in East Africa stormed and captured by the
South African troops under command of General Smuts.
Enemy block— house somewhere on the Equatorial front also
taken by the advancing Colonial troops.
duns which were abandoned by the Germans in retreating before the South Africans. On May 25th, 1916, General Northey,
working on the borders of Rhodesia and Nyassaland, advanced twenty miles into German territory, the enemy retiring to I pi an a.
1924
War Traffic on the Trek in East Africa:
Campaigning difficulties in German East Africa. Regimental
transport ox-cart crossing a river drift.
Loyal natives in Freedom's cause. African troops carrying
boxes of ammunition.
""THE German dream of a great Colonial
Empire gradually vanished as the
conquering army of General Smuts steadily
wore down the enemy forces in German
East Africa. With the approach of the
final victory, the chagrin of the War Lord
must have been intense, especially in view
of the fact that South Africa materially
helped to wrest from him his last colony.
On June 24th, 1916, Major-General Van
de Venter, the able lieutenant of General
Smuts, drove the enemy from all his pre-
pared positions about Kondoa Irangi, and
was pursuing him towards the Central Rail-
way. Kondoa Irangi is about ninety miles
north-east of Kilimatinde, an important
town on the Central Railway. The whole
region of German East Africa between
Victoria Nyanza and Lake Tanganyika was
then practically clear of the enemy.
Building a River Bridge.— This photograph gives an excellent idea of the country through which General Smuts' gallant troops
had to advance to conquer Germany's last colony, when much constructional work had to be done. I nsot : Troops crossing one
of the drifts, in which the colony abounds.
1925
Forward to Victory Through the Sombre Bush
Remaking a bridge over the river. In the absence of other material
timber was used, of which the country provides a plentiful supply.
German observation-post, for big gun, up
a tree at Kilimanjaro.
The position where the soldier is standing is a machine-gun post on a raised
platform, from which the concealed enemy wrought considerable harm.
Some of General Smuts' gallant men cross- How the enemy utilised the resources of the colony. A cunningly arranged
ing a river in German East Africa. position for a German pom-pom.
192G
With Our Special Photographer in East Africa:
Armoured car, several of which modern war-machines
performed great service over the arid wastes of East Africa.
British engineers, assisted by natives, rebuilt a bridge over
the Lumi River, which had been destroyed by the Germans.
Helio station and staff at work during the Battle of Salaita,
March 12th, 1916, when the Germans were forced from a hill.
Ox transport trekking along an African highway in a
cloud of dust. A British soldier is bringing up the rear.
Stalwart types of born fighters. Men of the King's African
Rifles lining up to proceed to the zone of fire.
Fort Moshi, a strong German position in East Africa, captured
by British troops, March 25th, 1916, after a sixty-mile advance.
Automobile, conveying a water-tenk, in difficulties while crossing
adrift. Every gallon of water had to be stored in tanks like this.
Road trenches dug by the Germans in retreating from
Salaita to prevent pursuit by British armoured cars.
1927
In the Van of General Smuts' Great Advance
Naval 12-pounder [in action. These weapons did Method of moving heavy artillery across open country,
excellent work during the advance. Powerful motor-car dragging a naval gun into action.
iritish hospital train waiting to start for the base with
wounded soldiers from the fighting round Salaita.
Portable naval hydroplane hangar. These invaluable sheds
were erected and taken down with remarkable rapidity.
Graves of patriots who fell far afield. Cemetery of The great difficulty of the campaign was lack of water, which
British officers who fell during the Battle of Taveta. had to be stored and transported in these special tanks.
Temporary office of the supply section. A tarpaulin British troops in East Africa detraining waggons in
stretched over some dead trees. sections. Scene on the line of General Smuts' advance.
1928
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1929
1930
Stalwart Burghers Move on German East Africa
Pay-day— and well-deserved. Burghers from South Africa lined up to receive their hard-earned pay in a desert district during tho
campaign against the Germans in East Africa. In the battle on the Kitova Hills, March, 1916, they displayed great bravery.
Trainload of armoured motor-cars on their way to the front in One of our South African batteries helping General Smuts to
East Africa excites the Interest of the loyal natives. conquer Germany's last colony.
Worthy of each other. Gallant men and splendid mounts from South Africa who, after fighting under General Botha in German
South-West Africa, proved their prowess with General Smuts in the more prolonged task of reducing German East Africa.
11)31
The Martial Parade in Sunny Durban
South African Infantry marching through the streets of Durban on their way to embark for East Africa. The men of South
Africa rallied splendidly to the Flag, to serve under the command of Lieut. -General Smuts and help to conquer the Germans'
last "place In the sun." General Smuts' force was composed of representatives from all corners of the British Empire.
1932
The Campaign Against the Kaiser's Last Colony
Troop of King's African Rifles lined up alongside a rail track. The height of these native soldiers is remarkable. A black leader
in the foreground is about to give some instructions to an orderly. In the far distance stone barricades mark the British position.
Bullock-drawn munition column trekking across an open space in British East Africa. Some of the Indian troops who were
engaged in the East African campaign are seen in the foreground.
1933
Artillery in Action on the East African Front
British artillery pounding away at the German positions in East Africa. The gunner on the right has Just fired the
weapon, while those on the left are crouching behind the ammunition-waggon.
Striking impression of British artillery being hauled across an East African drift by a team of bullocks. The manoeuvre
is fn charge of Britons, but one or two natives are assisting with the traces. An excellent idea of the country over which
the struggle for Germany's last colony was waged may be gathered from this photograph.
1U31
Fighting the King of Beasts in African Jungle
In addition to the hardships of campaigning in tropical and
f the world-war. A squad of motor-vehicles, in one of which
General Smuts and his Staff were travelling, was attacked
sometimes waterless country, across miles of jungle, British General Smuts and . Stan we 7," i.tad beasts at
troops in East Africa were subject to attacks by wild beasts. by lions near Kilimanjaro. To hold the mfur.ated ««» "*
A strangely exciting experience was recorded by a corres- bay a belt of revolver fire was kept up through the long hours
pondent w th General Smuts' forces in this Equatorial region of the night, and the lions eventually slunk away into the forest
1935
The Great Push Against German East Africa
troops on one of the armoured barge, which were found of great service to General Smuts' forces on the numerous
rivers in the area of operations in East Africa. These rivers somewhat hindered our pursuit of the retreating Germans.
Native stretcher-bearers and riflemen of the King's African Rifles on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. During the ten minutes'
fight between British and German gunboats on the lake, on December 26th, 1915, all the German officers were killed, and the
enemy's native troops were forced to surrender. Lake Tanganyika divides German £ast Africa from the Belgian Congo
1936
In the Wake of General Smuts' Offensive
~xr.:'X;r™r^^
Moshi, eighteen miles west of the Kitovo Hills, the scene of the battle of March 1
THE fact that Portugal, our oldest ally, fought with us against
1 Germany's well-drilled and armed native army in East Africa brings
to mind the historical aspect of the friendly relations between Great Britain
and Portugal, maintained by the firm adherence to treaty obligations.
The first treaty was signed with great solemnity in 1373 ; the second,
solidifying the alliance, in 1386. It was revised during succeeding years
about five times until, in 1873, Lord Granville stated the modern terms o
the treaty.
It was during the reign of Charles II. that an Article was inserted by
which England and Portugal agreed to join forces in their Colonies,
the origin of the joint operation in East Africa.
Another interesting fact is that when General Smuts planted the Flag
on Germany's last colony, he reclaimed for Britain a possession that
she ought never to have lost. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71,
there was a tacit assumption that Zanzibar and the adjoining coast was
unclaimable by other Powers. Yet German explorers overran the country ;
but when these " peaceful " Teutons penetrated Uganda and inveigled
the king into granting them concessions, the British Government took action.
In 1890 Britain and Germany conferred, boundaries were agreed upon, and
one of the little presents to the sulky Kaiser was— Heligoland !
On the beach of Lake Tanganyika. Awaiting prisoners from the German armed steamer Kingani. Inset : Sentry of the King's
African Rifles. General Smuts gave no rest to the enemy, who retired rapidly southwards along the Tanga Railway.
To face pay* 1937
1937
Notwithstanding the heavy blows and consequent
losses which Russia suffered during the summer of 1915,
and which would probably have overwhelmed any less
tenacious and courageous people, her army has been
thoroughly reorganised and re-equipped ; her armaments
have increased, and the spirit which pervades her forces
is as high as at the outset of the campaign.
The active co-operation of the Russian people in the
manufacture of munitions of war exhibits very clearly thi
reality of their patriotism, and their determination to
carry this life-and-death struggle, whatever its length, to a
mctorious conclusion. — EARL KITCHENER,
In the House of Lords, February isth, 1916
With Russia
Resurgent
Russia strikes on the Eastern Front : Cossack patrol reconnoitring the German positions.
1938
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AREA OF THE RUSSIAN VICTORIES ON THE STRYPA. Pruth and the Styr. Lutzk was entered by the victorious
General BrussilofVs offensive in Volhynia and Qalicia began Russians on June 6th, and Czernovitz, the capital of Bukovina,
on Sunday, June 4th, 1916, and fighting quickly developed fell for the fifth time in twenty-one months on June 17th. The
along a wide front from the River Pripet to the Rumanian Austro-Qerman prisoners taken up to June 19th numbered
border, particularly heavy fighting taking place between the over 170,000.
1939
True Tales of the War by Famous Correspondents
My Ride with the Caucasian Cavalry
An Adventure on the Russo-Hungarian Front
By H. C. SEPPINGS WRIGHT
Of the innumerable types of fighting men engaged in changing the map of Europe, the
Caucasian is the most romantic and mysterious of all. His striking figure and picturesque
uniform and the remote region of his fighting lend him a peculiar interest and charm. For
whole months his activities are shrouded in impenetrable gloom. Then suddenly the world
will ring with some splendid achievement, such as the Battle of Sarykamish or the capture
of Erzerum. It is fitting, therefore, that the first of our new and absorbing series of articles
by famous correspondents on their most thrilling adventure in the great conflict should
be devoted to an incident with the Caucasians. The Editor requested Mr. H. C. Seppings
Wright, the eminent battle chronicler and artist, whose experiences include service in the
Ashanti, Spanish-American, Russo-Japanese, Balkan, Tripoli, and present campaigns,
to open this feature with a story of his ride with Caucasian cavalry on the eastern front.
Mr. 8KFMKG3 WHIG
Artiat-Correapondei
AtONG my recollections perhaps one of the toughest
jobs during my services with the Russian Army was
on the occasion of a trip I made with the Caucasian
Cavalry, commanded by the Grand Duke Michael. These
splendid troops are generally called Cossacks. This is a
misnomer, and I write this brief account of them under
their proper title.
The mistake, no doubt, arises from the fact that the huge
Cossack army wear the picturesque national dress of these
native Caucasian regiments on grand occasions. On active
service the uniform of the Cossacks and their equipment
are identically the same as those of the cavalry.
There are, however, distinguishing features. A heavy
mass of hair falls over the left brow of the Cossack. This
love-lock is his particular pride. He oils and curls it with
all the assiduity of an ancient beau. The men of the
Caucasian sotnias, or squadrons, wear an untrimmed, shaggy
beard, and long, flowing hair; the latter is so coarse that
it is scarcely distinguishable from the goatskin kepi,
imparting to the figure a wild, ferocious appearance, totally
at variance with his real sentiments, \\hich are kindly,
gentle, and humane.
Towards the Hungarian Frontier
I left a certain town in Galicia in a military train, which
dropped me at a village farther south. From here a drive oi
some thirty miles in an open sledge, drawn by four horses
abreast, conveyed me to the headquarters of the X army,
where I received a warm welcome.
It was winter time, and deep snow covered the country.
Although well wrapped up in skins, and lying in a nest of
straw, I could scarcely keep warm.
The troops were mostly billeted in different cottages in
the village of . Their hardy little horses standing about
seemed impervious to weather conditions, for, like their
masters, they are born campaigners ; cold, hunger, heat
and thirst seem all the same to them. I understood and
appreciated these qualities later on.
That same evening we were ordered on some expedition,
whether it was scouting or foraging, I didn't know. It was
somewhere toward the Hungarian frontier, and that was
good enough.
Being provided with one of the quietest horses in the troop,
I rode off in high spirits. Not being accustomed to the
cushion, or high pillow, which is strapped to the saddle, I
found some difficulty in getting across my mount. The
saddle itself is a high, peaked, half-moon shaped seat
perched on a pack, with square saddle flaps buckled to the
battens. The stirrup leathers are long. This obliges one
to remain bolt upright instead of sitting on the saddle.
My greatest difficulty lay in that cushion, which gave me
the impression of being seated up in the air, not altogether
a pleasant sensation, especially when your beast is lunging
breast high through snow-drifts.
And the cold — how it cut 1 Three pairs of socks, felt
boots, and those stuffed with paper, failed to keep it out.
Some sort of order was kept in spite of the snowstorm.
Between each file a led horse carried supplies, spare
ammunition, etc., besides which the troopers' horses each
bore a miscellaneous burden, a " cargo of notions " hung
all about the saddle — t'ente d'bris, buckets, the inevitable
teapot, etc, and, in many cases, the prayer-carpet, for not a
few of these Caucasians are strict Mohammedans.
I never once gave a thought as to where we were bound.
Now and again I caught glimpses through the snow-
wreaths of distant pine-clad slopes. We were riding
among trees, and I got a good many smacks from branches
as they recoiled with the force of a catapult fiom my leading
file.
Halts were called at intervals to allow our " Marine
Cossacks " to come up. These very useful and necessary
reinforcements were supplied by sailors from the Black Sea
Fleet, and were attached for the purpose of working the
mountain battery. Like all sailors, they adapted themselves
to their new " craft," as they called their horses.
Some country waggons had been requisitioned for their
especial benefit, to bring along the guns, shells, etc. Once
I very nearly came off, as my horse stumbled over some
railway tracks, which I afterwards learned were the road
leading into Hungary. After considerable jolting and
jogging on this rough track the going became, if anything,
worse as we plunged into a dense forest with a thick, matted
undergrowth. Here we made " heavy weather " as the
Tsar's Tars said. After hours, so it seemed, we arrived at a
defile, where the air became sensibly milder.
Evidently this was a rendezvous, for the challenging
neighs of the horses were answered from somewhere in the
woods. A sudden turn in the ravine brought us into the
midst of a big camp, where we were offered food and tea,
my small tent was pitched against a sheltering bank, and I
was soon asleep.
Romance 'Mid the Snowy Pines
1 woke about noon and started making notes of the
wild and picturesque surroundings. The camp was ideally
chosen. A dense wood of pines effectually screened us
from any marauding aeroplane. The horses in their
saddles were tied up to the tree-trunks, lances, rifles,
accoutrements of all sorts were suspended from the stumps
of old branches — " Nature's pegs." The men were huddled
about in groups, and looked quite happy and contented ;
bursts of merriment and applause greeted the successful
story-teller, for there is something Far Eastern in the habits
of these soldiers. They love to listen to tales as marvellous
as the " Arabian Nights."
I also learned that our sotnias had been told off to attack
an Austrian force entrenched some distance ahead in a
position commanding a mountain pass of great importance.
This was the cause of the high spirits. These hardy
mountaineers love nothing so much as a scrap.
Although small tents are served out, the men seldom use
them — I have on occasion seen them used during heavy
rain much in the same way as our carters use a sack — but
stick to the more primitive custom, a shelter of boughs ;
many even disdain this luxury, and content themselves
with sleeping in the snow, wrapped up in their " borkas."
This borka is shaped like a large riding cape, or cloak.
1940
WITH THE CAUCASIAN CAVALRY {c
which reaches down to the ground. The material of which
it is made is a sort of felt of goat's or camel's hair, and is so
thick that it is quite impervious to wet or cold, and does
for bed, blanket, and tent. These well-seasoned troopers
desire nothing better. I have seen men actually burrow
into the snow, curl themselves up in the borka, and sleep
soundly although snow was falling. In the morning
nothing is to be seen but mounds of snow !
We broke camp and started late in the afternoon. By
this time I was getting used to the excitement of keeping
on the back of my steed. In the exhilarating ozone of the
mountains I quite forgot my stiffness, which had gradually
reduced itself to a comforting numbness. This ride was
well worth all the initial weariness. It was life — without
pain or ache 1
We bivouacked for the last time amongst a grove of beeches,
without noise. No talking, no smoking, and no fires, for the
enemy was but a few miles distant. The expedition had
been carefully planned. A large force of Russian infantry
lay somewhere away on our right flank. Their business
was to make a flanking attack. To our chaps fell the
honour of direct assault.
The guns were carried up in sections by our " Marine
Cossacks," and I watched them as they toiled up through
the snow until lost in the brushwood slopes.
The observation officers had already started, having
established the telephones, and were now in constant
communication with the commandant.
Getting to the Business ol War
The most trying part of the war correspondent's mission
•is at this moment. You somehow feel yourself de trap—
everyone seems trying to avoid you. You are alone. It is
like that great loneliness which the small boy experiences
on his first day at a big boarding school, yet it is only
imaginary. Everyone, from the jovial commandant down,
has his own serious business to occupy him. In addition,
perhaps, his own solemn thoughts. Each one has become
individualised.
I caught myself wondering why the telephone did not
shrill. Of course, it was all nonsense, but it showed the
drift of one's mind. The whole business was uncanny and
eerie ; men mustered, and silently glided away, always
upward. The very horses seemed to know that something
extraordinary was going to happen, for they stood motion-
less beside the tree-trunks. Occasionally their lips gave out
a sort of muffled chopping, as one or other would reach
out for a few straws, the remnants of last night's meal.
With the permission of the commandant, I followed the
trail of the guns, until, guided by sounds of digging and
scraping, I came suddenly on the position, which was well
chosen. Squatted at the back of the crest, or ridge, of the
mountain our grim little battery looked quite formidable ;
the guns were well sunk in the ground, and further pro-
tected by circular-topped shields. The Russian Jack Tars,
who formed the guns' crews, seemed quite as much at home
as if they were on their native element. Higher up, and
entirely concealed by the projecting buttress of a friendly
cliff, stood the observation officer, waiting the fateful
moment. The telephone wires, like black threads, lay
along the snow — there were two — one connected with the
battery, the other with headquarters.
First Shot from the Enemy
The scene before me will ever remain photographed on
my mind. I can see it now, and could almost tell the number
of bushes which sparsely covered the undulating sides of
the hills opposite, and beyond the smooth plateau, which
swept with a bold curve towards the north-west, clumps
of dark trees here and there dotting its surface empha-
sising its purity and whiteness. A fringe of trees framed
this plain, while the perspective of hill-tops concentrated
the eye on the enemy trenches. These were constructed
on the German system — small, half-moon shaped and in
groups, covering each other. They were so well concealed
that for the moment I failed to locate them.
Our range-finder gives us the exact distance to the
enemy's first-line trench — 3,000 yards as a crow flies, but to
cover this short distance our men have to cross two deep
ravines. Strict orders are given to wait until the infantry
attack develops. At last ! The first shot comes from the
enemy. No need for silence now. Our batteries get to
work, while the advance proceeds.
As I have said, the enemy's position was well chosen.
His guns were posted and concealed on the opposile
heights, and they closely searched the wooded slopes of our
mountain without doing much damage. On our side we
did some good shooting, getting on to a wooded ravine
wherein lurked the Austrian reserves and supply columns.
The main road to the Hungarian plains passes through
this gorge ; we could not distinguish the road itself, but
we knew it was there, and probably crowded with the
enemy's transport. It was both their feed pipe and line
of retreat.
Glorious Charge Across the Snow
The shell smoke in little puffs and wreaths punctuated the
distant woods to the right which concealed our supports.
The grinding patter of the machine-guns and louder
detonations of the shells made a considerable din and
painted a smudge of smoke and dirty flame across the
landscape. From my eyrie I got a bird's-eye view of the
whole field, though at times obscured by the shell mist, and
I could follow the plan of the attack and watch its gradual
development. While the enemy's attention was directed
to our front I saw our supports leaving the cover of the
woods. To me it looked as if they were going to certain
destruction ; afterwards I found that their movements were
masked by the curve which I mentioned before, and were
further concealed by a spinney of trees. The method of
advance was clearly seen. The observation men came out
first. Then the points, followed by the platoons, until the
trees were reached, where the attacking force concentrated.
From here, after a shell storm — so dear to the hearts of the
gunners — the whole body charged down over the exposed
country. Simultaneously our men dashed from their cover,
shouting, yelling, and gesticulating in their excitement.
It was magnificent ! These soldiers of the Caucasus
are uncontrollable. Officers and men were strung out over
the plain like hounds. It was everyone for himself and
against the common foe. During this mad race many
disappeared under the snow, and one of the leaders seemed
suddenly to have gone mad. He undressed, and began
waving his arms about apparently in a maniacal frenzy.
I afterwards heard from him that he felt a bullet strike him
in the shoulder, and to ease the pain he stripped, went
through the Swedish drill to feel if there were any bones
broken, injected some sedative near the wound, and went
on at the head of his men. This is a fact !
Herculean Work of Artillery
These hardy soldiers, wearing their borkas, made this
brilliant charge thigh deep in snow. It was a tough fight,
and went slowly at first, but a final overpowering dash, in
conjunction with the Russian infantry, cleared the trenches.
The enemy taking to the wooded hills, our infantry occupied
the trenches and threw out a skirmishing line to clear the
woods. The Cossack soldiers hurried back to get their
horses, and the pursuit commenced. My business was to
go to headquarters as soon as possible. I found the
General Stan established in the comfortable shacks lately
occupied by one of the enemy commanders.
Late that night the cavalry returned, their steaming
horses showing they had ridden far. They brought in some
prisoners and two guns, besides supplies of sorts. There
were still heaps of work to be done in order to strengthen the
position, and also to get the guns up the hills. No one but
an artilleryman knows the difficulties of this operation. I
think they are the most patient people in the world.
Nothing ever seems to go right, yet these wonderful fellows
never lose their tempers or their heads. " Belly aching "
is the American term for bringing on guns, and the expres-
sion is apt.
This fight was but the beginning of much more serious
operations. Streams of reinforcements kept flowing in to
secure the ground won. Day and night trenching and
fortifying went on unceasingly, transforming the whole
district for miles, until the countryside looked like the
foundations for building a new city. It was "a city of
refuge," for we all had to live underground — in caves.
1941
Caucasian Cavalry Advance in the Carpathians
Caucasian cavalry advancing through snow to attack an
enemy position on the Hungarian front. As Mr. Seppings
Wright points out in his article in these pages, these men
are born campaigners, and their power of endurance is nothing
short of marvellous. Degrees of temperature, lack of food and
water, are mere bagatelles to these hardy warriors. Each
horse, in addition to its rider, carries a miscellaneous burden,
a "cargo of notions," including not infrequently a praying-
carpet, for many of the Caucasians are staunch followers o>
Mohammed, and know their Koran by heart.
1942
Imperial Russia Keeps Guard Over Trebizond
After the fall of Erzerum, February 16th, 1916, the capture of Trebizond by the Grand Duke Nicholas's Caucasian army was
but a question of weeks. This historic citadel on the shore of the Black Sea is the terminus of one of the great routes between
Europe and Asia. The illustration shows the network of trenches and some of the Turkish guns before Trebizond.
Captured forts of Trebizond under Russian guard. It was at Trebizond that Xenophon and his comrades the Ten Thousand
Greeks, who had lost their way campaigning in the Valley of the Euphrates, came upon the sea with the immortal shout of
jubilation, "Thalatta! Thalatta ! "—meaning "The Sea! The Sea!"
1943
First Scenes from Erzerum
AS it militated against the possibility of further Turkish rein-
*"* forcements being sent to the Bagdad front, the fall of Erzerum,
February i6th, 1916, proved to be an event of more outstanding
importance to the allied cause than was at first supposed. The
brilliant achievement of the Grand Duke's Caucasian forces had the
effect of awakening Germany to the futility of her dream of victory
in the East, and thus freed British troops stationed in Egypt.
re: .-f^mimm ^^ j ^-— ^^^^ ^^^*-^^ 8ft?SSSK«£BS .^.^••.•.m. -'j}-3*Pw
Types of the Turkish inhabitants of Erzerum, photographed after the entry of th« victorious Russian troops into tha
captured fortress capital. Right: An optimistic Turkish cobbler, carrying on "business as usual" outside his shop.
iiiiiiiiiHMiiiiiiini I 3H&^&£&: & •imiiiinn i '1 111 • *5?»f; "."^""71 Ksassaaaast ^••MMH^^MI.MMI^M
One of the Grand Duke's valorous soldiers enjoying himsalf in Erzerum on a donkey, after taking part in one of the
greatest feats of arms in the war. Centre : Turkish prisoners captured at Erzerum. Right : Typical beggar of Erzerum.
Picturesque tatterdemalions of the Armenian capital standing outside a watchmaker's shop. Right : Turkish carpenter
at work in an Erzerum street. A further selection of these striking photographs is published in succeeding pages.
1944
" *• « -•! ^ ^M ^>" UV ^»
Exclusive Photographs of Erzerum,
Centre: Enemy flags and banners numbered among the vast amount of
urkish woodmen sawing logs outside Erzeru
View of one of Erzerum's unpaved streets. The motor-car in the distance seems out of place beside the old-world Asian houses with
their Oriental fagades. Centre: Corner of the bazaar at Erzerum. Right: Russian oxen-drawn convoy on the snow-covered fields
Caucasian soldier standing in a ho
n the ice-bound plain adjacent to Erzerum. Centre :
made by a bomb dropped from an aeroplane.
1915
the Captured 'Metz of Asia Minor'
jphies and spoils which fell into the victors' hands. Right: Turkish hut, built mainly of logs, on the outskirts of Erzeru
>r the capital, the scene of some of the fiercest righting in the war. After the capture of the fortresses and the town, the victorious
ces of the Grand Duke hotly pursued the Ottoman Third Army, which retreated in three directions — north, south, and west of Erzerum.
light: One of the entrances to Erzerum, the bleak, mysterious and snowbound fortress
ity of the Caucasus. The post is that of an electric lamp.
1946
Erzerum, the Anvil for the Grand Duke's Hammer-stroke
Russian transport column passing through a street in Erzerum, where the booty captured by the Russians was enormous. The
Siberian troops, by their cyclonic rush under appalling climatic conditions, gave the Turks no opportunity of saving their guns.
Turkish prisoners under guard at Erzerum. In addition to the Turks' terrible losses in
killed and wounded, a great number were captured when the" Metzof Asia Minor " fell. ~-^S.
Further types of the many Turkish defenders of Erzerum who fell into the hands of the Russians during the Grand Duke's
hammer-stroke. (These photographs, and those on the preceding pages, are exclusive to "The War Illustrated.")
1947
Cossacks Search for Wounded with Electric Torch
Cossacks tracking their way across tho snow at night with
electric torches. Many a wounded Russian, lying helpless
and overlooked during a rapidly-moving engagement, owed
his life to the hand "searchlights'1 which formed part of the
equipment of the Cossack when he was on outpost or patroi
duty. Primarily they were carried to assist the riders in finding
their way at night, discovering obstacles, examining suspected
traps, exploring pathways in dark forest recesses, and for
signalling. In this picture a troop of Cossacks is seen gallop-
ing over a road near the scene of fighting, searching for woun Jed.
1948
1949
Slavs Push on to Cities of Immortal Romance
f . 4W^R™W»^H 1 llf? ^f
11^^^*
Picturesque Russian camp on the snow-covered ranges near
Erzerum. After the fall of the forts and town, February, 1916,
the Turks were steadily driven southwards and westwards.
>i»«iiMiHsst«>
Persian artillery In an old-world courtyard on the Irak frontier. Inset : Ruins of Khorassan,
bombarded by the advancing Russians. The dislodgment of the Turks from a series of pos
town of Kermanshah, brought the Russians on the Teheran-Bagdad route to within two hundre
in Persia, after the town had been
B OT positions in Persia, and the fall of the
hundred miles of the Tigris above Bagdad.
1950
1951
Russian Grand Dukes at Teheran and in Japan
Grand Duke Nicholas leaving his automobile to mount his charger prior to holding a review of the Russian troops in Teheran
Our ally s successes in the Caucasus In the early part of 1916 caused depression and discouragement in the Turkish ranks.
Grand Duke Michaelovitch sightseeing from a rickshaw at Nikko, Japan. His Imperial Highness was sent to the Mikado as
the Tsar's envoy to discuss the military situation with Russia's former adversary, but later her trusted friend.
1952
Russian Royalties Work and Rest Behind the Lines
The Tsar with the Grand Duke Nicholas, the Grand Dukes Peter Nicholaievltch and Alexander Michaelovitch, Prince Peter
Alexandrovitch of Oldenburg, officers of H.I.M.'s suite, and the Staff of the Grand Duke.
Royal group, including the Tsar, his four daughters, the Tsare-
vitch, and four of H.I.M.'s nephews, taken in the grounds of the
palace at Tsarskoe-Selo.
The Emperor with the Tsareyitch, the Grand Duchess Tatiana,
and Prince Nikita Alexandrovitch, one of the Tsar's nephews, at
Tsarskoe-Selo.
From Riga to Sebastopol is a far cry, but the indefatigable Emperor of All the Russias could one day review troops in the Baltic port and
another inspect his fleet at the other end of Russia's line, in the
Black Sea. This photograph shows his Imperial Majesty with
Admiral Qregorovitch and Naval Staff.
FEAKLESS COSSACKS SABRE AND PUT TO FLIGHT A CRACK REGIMENT OF HUNGARIAN HUSSARS.
To face jmtje *».'?
1933
War and the Spiritual Force of Slavdom
A war-time spread behind the Russian lines. Slav soldiers enjoying
the luxury of a table in a pleasantly screened corner of our ally's front.
wn by a Gorman aviator
into the Russian lines, but which failed to explode.
•"THE Russian may be said to be the most religiously
*• inspired fighter among modern European
nations. For the Tsar to declare a Holy War against
the Hohen/ollerns meant far more than an ordinary
racial conflict for ambitions and territorial conquest.
In their war against the Germans the Russians were
buoyed up by an irresistible spiritual force. The
mystical impetus of the Slav temperament proved
a great factor as against the purely materialistic
attitude of Teutonism. The Germans machined
their way to Warsaw ; but though machines counted
in the first eighteen months of the great struggle,
mental and physical stamina, and a profound con-
viction that right only is might, gave our eastern
ally the will eventually to win back all that she had
lost, and a great deal more.
Russian officer kissing the Holy Ikon, a religious
eastern ally before going into battle.
Still hot ! Nose of a shell which exploded
dangerously near the soldier who is holding it
1954
1955
True Tales of the War by Famous Correspondents
Between Two Fires at Mamornitza
My Unique Experience on the Bukovina Border
By BASIL CLARKE
ME. BASIL CLARKB
MR, BASIL CLARKE, who is the author of the thrilling personal episode
published ore this page, became familiar to numerous readers by his series
of important articles on " Food for Germany," and his war correspondence from
France, Bukovina, and other fronts in the "Daily Mail." Prior to the war he had
won his spurs as a brilliant " special " on the staff of that daily newspaper.
Mr. Clarke' s choice of Mamornitza as a more or less happy hunting-ground for copy
was a journalistic enterprise of considerable ingenuity. From this vantage point,
which is neutral territory situated between Austria and Russia, he was able to discuss
the campaign from both sides, one day with the ally and the next with the enemy.
Mr. Clarke's experiences range from the first days of the German onslaught on
Belgium. He was at work among the dunes when the British Navy bombarded the
advancing German hordes. He has known the awe-inspiring precincts of Ypres
Cathedral under shell fire, and studied various aspects of the war from all centres.
THE editor of this volume has requested me to describe
some memorable incident of my experiences of the
war. I choose one with difficulty, for I can tick off
memorable incidents on the fingers of both hands, and then
not find fingers enough. I was in Belgium, for instance,
when the Germans' first great rush was in full swing, and
when the exodus of Belgian refugees was at its worst.
Those were memorable and heartrending days. One day,
later, I was sheltering in the cover of a sand-dune on the
seashore, not a long way from Nieuport and the Yser Canal,
•when the British Navy for the first time bombarded the
German army on the coast roads of Flanders and smashed
up that deadly advance on Calais. On the sand-dunes
there my Belgian guide and I could have hornpiped for joy
at the sight of those wicked-looking little black boats of
ours pouring shell after shell from out of the mist on to the
German hordes, who for days had been steadily advancing
upon us along the coast, carrying all before them. That is
a day I shall always remember. It was the last day of the
German advance in Flanders.
Ypres Under Bombardment
Not long afterwards I was in the old city of Ypres,
which the Germans (having failed to take it) were smashing
up for sheer devilment and spite. And I was in the
cathedral there while the heaviest of German shells were
whistling and booming about it, and while a grey-haired
priest, distracted with grief, was running about the cathedral
trying to put out with water from a sacred ewer the burning
ruins that fell clattering from the roof. That, too, was a
memorable scene.
Later, I saw queer war-happenings in France, in Serbia,
in Bulgaria, in Greece, and elsewhere. But for the war-
incident which I shall describe here I want to take you right
beyond all these places to a spot which was at the time —
and still is to this day, I believe — the most inaccessible
place in Europe.
Take train to as far north in Rumania as you can get, and
you will reach a queer little town called Dorohoi ; then take
a sleigh and four horses — as I did, for it was winter — and
drive still farther north through the Jewish town of Hertza,
and then east, and in time, if the snow is not too deep and
soft, you will reach the village of Mamornitza. The peculiar
attraction of Mamornitza for a war correspondent was
this — that though it lies only one hundred yards from
Austria (Bukovina), and about the same distance, or little
more, from Russia (Bessarabia), it is in neither. Thus you
could dodge one day into Russia, the next day into Austria
— as the battles waged to and fro ; you could see all the
fighting there was to be seen on either side, and watch the
soldiers of both sides at work, and then at your convenience
dodge back into Rumania to telegraph to your newspaper
on the wires of a neutral country. So I took quarters in a
peasant cottage in Mamornitza.
And this leads me to say now why I singled out this tiny
iota of all the European War to write about. First because
it was the only bit of all the war-Europe I visited in which
the contending armies were good enough to fight their
battles so near at hand as in my own back garden ; and
secondly, because it was the only bit of the war in which I
could be shot at one day in Russian trenches, or trains, or
forts, and then next day go and look at close quarters at
the very Austrian men and the very Austrian guns that
had shot at me. That, I believe, is a unique privilege, even
in war correspondence.
A little Rumanian peasant maid and her brother looked
after me. She was brewing my morning coffee, I remember.
Her childish head was bent down over my spirit stove ;
her feet and legs were bare ; her hair was taken straight
backwards from her forehead and done in a plait ; her
blouse was white-and-red native work, with golden sequins
and beads ; her skirt was dark red. And " boom ! " went
the first gun of the battle. Over went my coffee. The
poor child chattered with fright, and I had to rescue the
spirit stove ; for the gun was not a hundred yards away,
and the boom of it rattled the house. I scrambled into my
warmest coat and some " gum boots," and hurried out of
doors through the snow and into the back garden. The
Austrians had come in the night, and had posted guns
hardly a hundred yards away, almost on the other bank of
the tiny stream that divides Austria from Rumania at
this point. I could see the men at the guns — could
hear the officers talking to them and giving the orders
to fire. The horses had been taken away and tethered
together at a spot a quarter of a mile off.
Charmed Life of Cossacks
In front of the artillery by one or two hundred yards
were the infantry, entrenched a little way along the
very road that passed my front door. The Russians
were up the valley of the boundary stream, farther
north. By going up a hill at the bottom of the garden
I could see the whole battle. On the Russian side Cossack
patrols were riding fearlessly up to the edge of the River
Pruth, which lay between the Austrians and them. The
Austrian infantry by the road were blazing away at
them with rifles, but the Cossack scouts seemed to bear a
charmed life.
All that day — except for an interval when I came home
to lunch — I watched the Austrian gunners pegging away
at the Russian positions (by the village of Bojan) and the
Russian patrols galloping over the snow to the edge of the
river and trying to make out the Austrians' positions.
And that day not a Russian gun answered the Austrians'
shots. Once a little Russian train came in sight, and as it
passed along the valley the Austrians blazed away shell
after shell at it. With a glass I could see the shells bursting
all around the train, but not one hit it.
1956
(Cotitirnif:i frtu,
page ,155. i
BETWEEN TWO FIRES
The gun fire stopped during the night, but next morning
it began again. That day I got over the River Pruth, at a
point slightly to the east, and was picked up by a Russian
patrol before J had gone many yards. They took me to a
Russian colonel who, alter examining my papers, was very
gracious and kind ; and he, in turn, after he had given me
lunch with himself and his brother officers, sent me along
in the same little train that I had seen being shelled the
previous day. The Austrian guns were still popping away,
and a number of their shells hit the railway track, but did
little harm. The Russians showed me a number of their
gun positions, and also took me to see the general of that
division, General Lawrentieff, who gave me tea £l la Russe.
and told me many things. And I, for my part, was
able to tell the Russians one or two things that were of
use to them, for the Austrians, in pitching their batteries
so near the Rumanian frontier, had not only infringed
international law (which says guns must not be placed
within a kilometre of a neutral country), but had
also acted without common-sense, for any chance
onlooker in Rumania, friend or foe, was free to see their
positions and their strength and, if so disposed, to make
use of his knowledge.
t
The Russians on the Mark
Next morning I was back on my hill-top down the garden
in good time, and by this time half the peasants of the
district were up beside me. My glasses were passed from
hand to hand among them with much wonder. The
Austrians opened the game again. Boom ! Boom ! went
their guns. They had fired some twenty times, thinking,
no doubt, they were to have things all their own way, as on
previous mornings. Then came a whining in the air,
followed by a crash — the first Russian shell. It landed
about fifty yards short of the Austrians by the roadway.
No. 2 gun of the same battery fired ten seconds later. The
second shell was twenty-five yards short. The Austrians
were getting jumpy. We could see their officers gesticulat-
ing and the men creeping into closer cover. A third shell
went into the bank by the roadside right among them, and
the fourth shell was among them, too. The Russians were
" on the mark " beautifully. Their batteries settled down
to work, keeping a beautiful length. It was an object-
lesson in superb gunnery.
The Austrians " stuck it " for a time, but not over
willingly. As each shell sent its warning whimper through
the air, I could see their anxious faces ; could see them
pressing their bodies closer to their earthworks and looking
upwards, as though to try to see the shells, with scared
eyes and livid cheeks. At last they bolted and sought
the cover of the Customs House, fifty yards from the
frontier.
Victory to Slavdom
The Russians went on bombarding the roadway
harmlessly. But only for a time. Somehow their gunners
got news of the change. A shell fell in the Customs House
yard, among a litter of old tins and bottles, making a
fearful racket. The next smashed down a drying-pole by
which a day's washing was hanging out to dry, and after
that an outhouse. The Austrians swarmed round the
farthermost wall of the building. But next came a scream-
ing shell right through the building, dropping stones and
roof tiles among them. They bolted into an orchard on
the other side of the road. Before long the Russian gunners
found this place, too. Shell after shell came along, tearing
through the trees and throwing up great showers of earth
and grass and sticks. The whole place was untenable.
And when Russian Cossacks, a whole cloud of them with
their lances apeak, came galloping across the snow on the
far side of the river, and drawing so near that their wild
shouts could be heard, the Austrians had had enough. Men
scrambled anyhow along the roadway in any order. Horses
were hitched in mad haste to the guns, and away they went
over the snow. The Russians had won the day — and
handsomely.
i C" «4
** ^^*?^^X™^^»*«. .•• -x-H •
•S-^ut. - 9
Steel Harbingers of Victory.— Truckloads of shells for batteries of French guns that broke down the enemy defences on the
Somme. The train is proceeding along one of the many special transport tracks laid down on the French front.
1957
By River & Road Near the Russo- German Front
Germans rafting timber across the River Niemen , at Grodno, In order to build a temporary bridge to replace the one destroyed
by Russian troops retiring from the Warsaw salient.
Russian woman and her two little children who, since their home was wrecked by the Oar-mans, lived in a crude shelter built of
earth and wood against the remaining wall of their ruined home.
1958
Soldiers of Land and Sea ! — It is now a year since
you responded enthusiastically to the appeal of your
country and entered the field to fight, side by side with our
valorous Allies, against our traditional enemy for the
achievement of our national aspirations. After over-
coming difficulties of every kind, you have, in a hundred
combats, fought and won with the ideal of Ita'y in your
hearts. But the country requires of you fresh efforts and
fresh sacrifices. I have no doubt but that you will give
proof of renewed valour and spirit. The country, proud
and grateful for the qualities which you are displaying,
supports you in your arduous task with fervid affection
and admirable and confident calmness. I pray that the
best possible fortune may accompany you in your future
struggles, as do my constant thoughts and constant
gratitude. — KING VICTOR EMANUEL.
Powerful Italian gun and cupola enshrouded in the snow on a high Alpine peak.
1960
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1961
True Tales of the War by Famous Correspondents
The Legend of General Cantore
An Italian Leader Who Gave His Life for His Men
By R. MACKENZIE
In all virile nations war reveals human character at its very best.
Certainly it invests Latin soldiers with a wondrous glory and superb
dignity that seem to reduce the men of the Central Empires to mere
puppets of martial mechanism. Perhaps it was the spontaneity of
Italian expression, the romance and tradition of antiquity, that infused
the individual with a spiritual force which was calculated to win back the
Trentino, no less than Italy's heavy artillery. This story of General
Cantore, expressly written for this volume by Mr. R. Mackenzie, a
prominent British journalist in Italy, who has represented the " Daily
News" in Rome for over eleven years, is one of the most appealing
narratives in the history of Italy's great effort amidst the eternal Alps.
MR. R. MACKENZIE
THE first general killed in the war between Italy and
Austria was the most popular man in the Italian
Army, General Antonio Cantore, who was in com-
mand of a division of Alpine troops, and was generally
known as " The Father of the Alpini." He was shot dead
by a sniper a year ago. A week before his death a handful
of Alpini had scaled an almost inaccessible mountain and
occupied its peak. The Austrians fled, neither attempting
to hold the position when attacked nor to take it back when
reinforced after they had been driven away. There was a
bridle-path leading to the position, and as it was sheltered,
the men off duty often used it as a short cut. Somewhere
hidden behind a rock there was a sniper. At first it was
thought that there were two, as two rifles were simul-
taneously fired, and many Alpini, who despite the danger
insisted on using the bridle-path, were shot.
There was something strange about this sniper. He
never missed his man, and always shot him at the same
place — a sharp corner of the winding path. The rest of
the path was safe, but it meant certain death to turn that
corner. Naturally the Alpini were ordered to find the
sniper, and they explored all the heights and climbed over
every side of the mountain, but without success. Then
they took it for granted that the sniper had fled, and they
boldly went up the path, but when they reached the corner
one or two men fell.
General Cantore wanted to find the sniper himself, so one
evening he went up the bridle-path and stopped at the
corner; calmly put up his field-glasses and looked. Just as
he raised his arm and pointed with a finger towards a ledge
of rock he was hit by two bullets in the forehead and fell
stone dead.
Shot by an Austrian Sniper
The sniper was subsequently discovered hidden behind
that ledge of rock with two nfles firmly fixed in front of
him, their barrels aiming straight at the corner of the path.
He explained, as he begged for mercy, that he never aimed
but just pulled the two triggers whenever he saw anybody
rounding the corner, as the rifles had been fixed and sighted
by an officer who " gave him this job." General Cantore
had uselessly exposed himself. Probably the sniper would
have been discovered just the same sooner or later, and the
general's life might have been spared. There was really
no necessity for the general to risk his life. Every soldier
of his division knew and felt that the general, their " father,"
had died for them, as he often said that he would have
willingly offered his life to save theirs, and they knew that
he meant what he said.
General Cantore was an old-fashioned man, and be-
longed to what is known as the old school. He wore
glasses, and his appearance was far from martial. He
looked more like a professor than a general of Alpine
troops ; but then he had a charmed life, and he always
wanted to find out things for himself. He was probably
the best-loved man in the Service, as he possessed the
genius of knowing how to order his men. Nothing was too
difficult for them to do for him. During the Tripoli War
he was in command of the Alpini, and he always marched
in front of them, and had so many miraculous escapes
from death that the men said he wore the " shirt of the
Madonna," and that he had a charmed life.
Legends spring up very easily in Italy, where even in
these matter-of-fact days there are still many simple-
minded people who compare heroes to gods. Most of the
men of the Alpini division waging mountain warfare on the
Dolomites and Carnic Alps, 10,000 feet high, are evidently
deplorably superstitious, and like all mountaineers, their
belief in the supernatural is deep-rooted. This explains
why nearly all these men are still convinced that General
Cantore is not dead, and that when the Italian flag shall be
hoisted over Trent he, their father, will be there. Of
course this is only a legend ; but twentieth-century legends
are rare, and well worth writing about, even if, after all,
there is nothing else in them but the incomplete biography
of an Italian general shot by an Austrian sniper.
A Much-loved Leader
Incidentally, in writing about General Cantore, one gets
some idea of the admirable individual work accomplished
by officers of all ranks, from generals to subalterns, during
this war. So many officers have been killed that details
about General Cantore's death were withheld for some time.
But when it was known how the general died, people began
to realise the meaning of this individual work done by
officers. For instance, the absolute lack of red tape which
allows each officer to risk his life in what appears to be
useless reconnoitring, but in reality forms a perfect system
of scouting that has yielded the wonderful results all the
world admires. And then the story of General Cantore
illustrates the love between the Italian soldiers and their
leaders. His nickname, " the Father," meant so much.
Most of the Alpini of General Cantore's division had
fought under him in Libya, and these veterans, pointing to
the general, told the recruits : " Do you see that old man
with glasses and the white moustache ? He is our general.
We call him our ' Father.' If you go up to him, salute,
say ' Good-morning, general ! ' and tell him your name, ten
years hence, if he happens to see you again, he will remember
it. That is why we call him our ' Father,' because he
considers us as his children ! " And then, probably, just a
few minutes later, the general would have strolled towards
the men, who sprang up to attention at sight of him, and
asked in quite a casual way : " Are there two men among
you who will go with me to inspect the enemy's entangle-
ments to-night ? " The entire company would take a step
forward, and all the men would say, " Yes, sir — I ! " Then
the general would look pleased, and smile with pride and
satisfaction, as if saying to himself, " I knew it would be
like this ! " and add out loud, for all the men to hear :
" No, my children ; I only said two, and cannot take you
all. I only need two this time, but there will be plenty of
\Continued on
1962-
1U02
THE LEGEND OF GENERAL CANTORS
chances for everybody later on." And with his escort of
two men, the general would go out scouting at night, his
hands in his pockets, and talking with the two men marching
one on each side.
On one particular night the general and his two men
reached a spot within a hundred yards of the enemy's
trenches. He ordered the men to halt and lie down.
" Wait for me here for ten minutes," he told them, " and
if I do not return, run back as fast as you can." Much
as the two men hated to let him go on alone, they had
to obey, as the general knew how to command when he
wanted. So he went on alone and reached the enemy's
entanglements, which he carefully examined, using his
electric torch to explore the different obstacles, such as
contact mines and man-traps, while the Austrians opened
fire and their guns boomed and their rifles rattled. The
general on bis knees concluded his work, even sketched the
enemy's positions, and then calmly returned to where he
had left the two men who were supposed to protect him.
The Austrian searchlights were on him all the time, and the
two men knew he was coming back because the bullets
were falling their way. When the general appeared with
his hands in his pockets and walking slowly, as if he did not
notice that he was being fired at, the two men sprang up
and saluted. They looked in awe at their general, this
wonderful man with the charmed life. He took out his
watch and said, " Time's up, boys. Come along ! "
Scouting at Night by Himself
Often General Cantore was accompanied by a sergeant —
his sergeant, he called him. This man had been his orderly
in years gone by, and worshipped him. When General
Cantore went to Tripoli the sergeant was with him, and
when war broke out again he left his family and his business
and joined the general. He followed him like a dog. In
fact, he hardly ever allowed the general to get out of his
sight, and the general knew that wherever he happened to
be, if he asked " Where is the sergeant ? " a voice from
some place near by would answer, " Here, sir ! " and the
sergeant would appear.
The general made a point of always calling the sergeant
and ordering him to wait for him at a particular place when
he went out scouting at night by himself. This was a
necessary precaution, as otherwise the sergeant would follow
him. When, however, the general used to say, " Sergeant,
wait here I " in a tone of command, using the third person
singular instead of the familiar second person, then the
sergeant immediately halted and remained nailed to the
ground.
One of General Cantore 's favourite expressions was, " If
anyone is to risk his life, it is going to be myself ! " and the
sergeant knew that it was impossible to argue with the
general. Had it not been for General Cantore, in those first
days of the war, the Alpine division under his command
would have been decimated when the first attacks against
the enemy's trenches were made. He discovered that
ordinary pincers were useless to cut Austrian wire entangle-
ments, and that even artillery fire often failed to destroy
them, as they were made in such a way that they could be
pulled up only when the infantry advanced. General
Cantore was the first man to find this out, and he discovered
that the only way to destroy entanglements was by means
of dynamite tubes carefully placed underneath the wire
and fired by means of an ordinary fuse. He tried the
first tube himself. The sergeant carried it for him, and he
was ordered to halt at a safe distance, but he saw the
general bend down and light the fuse. Just then an
Austrian sniper hidden in a tree discovered the general.
He was so excited when he recognised the rank of the
middle-aged man firing a dynamite tube that, unconsciously,
he exclaimed, " By God, it's a general ! " And then he
raised his rifle to fire, but he shook so much from excite-
ment that he dropped it. The general waited until the
dynamite had exploded, and when he made sure that the
entanglements had been destroyed, he calmly walked back
towards the sergeant, and passing near the tree he picked
up the sniper's rifle. " Here is a rifle for you to carry ! "
he told the sergeant, who replied : " Yes, sir ; very well,
sir. Please excuse me for not saluting, but I have both
my hands on the owner's neck ! "
" La Bella Morte
When General Cantore was killed — he died the beautiful
death, la bella morte — the sergeant was near him. He never
shed a tear, but took charge of the body and asked for the
privilege of burying it on the peak of the mountain where
the general had fallen. Then the general's wife was sum-
moned from Genoa, and she arrived just in time to see the
burial. They had been married thirty years, and had had
no children, so their love increased as they grew old to-
gether. The old lady wept and called her husband by
name. " Antonio ! Antonio ! " she shouted, while tears
fell down the faces of the officers and men who stood at the
salute while the general was buried.
The general's widow then returned to Genoa, and his
sergeant asked for a month's leave. " I cannot get over
it otherwise," he pleaded. He never returned home,
however, but remained at Divisional Headquarters, and for a
month he was seen walking the streets of the small town
where the general and his Staff used to be. Officers often
recognised him, and stopped to ask particulars about the
general's death. The sergeant saluted and replied : " The
general is not dead, sir ! " " But you buried him your-
self ! " he was told ; but he again replied, " The general is
not dead, sir ! " And he has hardly said anything else
since.
The poor widow, who returned to Genoa, has not wept
any more, nor has she worn mourning, and when people
went to see her and attempted to condole, " Oh ! " she said,
surprised, " but the general is not dead. He is at the front,
but coming back soon ! "
And the legend thus sprung up among the men of the
Alpine division a year ago, and the men there say that the
general is not dead. They tell you that his wife and his
sergeant both say so, too. Evidently they feel that he is
still with them, perhaps in spirit. And thus the best-loved
general in the splendid Italian Army has not been wept as
dead.
Is this hero-worship or superstition, one wonders ?
The interminable procession of Mars in the beautiful Somme Valley. Ammunition waggons going up to the front, while
motor-lorries return to the base for supplies.
1963
A 'War Illustrated' Contributor on Italy's Front
Battery of splendid Italian artillery advancing to take up its position on
the Alpine front.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the eminent novelist,
with Italian officer guides at Aquilela.
The creator of Sherlock Holmes with M. Maxse, of
Review," and M. Rene Berthelot.
the " National
•Pa
ha<
inoramlc view of part of the French front in the Somme, showing soldiers sheltering In rough dug-outs. Th
>• caught them in a characteristically casual attitude. There is nothing vainglorious about the modern soldi
ReDublic. Onlv An emotion of RArrjiri RnurAnn nnri HM| Mrminntinn tn \juin.
racierisiicHiiy casual aiuiuae. i nere is nothing vainglorious about the n
Republic, only an emotion of sacred courage and determination to win.
In rough dug— outs. The photographer
..... ..._ ____.__. ---1ieP of the great
1964
The Tube of Death : Vivid Italian Battle Scenes
Au8trian trenches on the Isonzo front by means of long tubes of
owers, who guarded the attacking party, lording a stream.
1965
Faulty Shells and Spies on the Isonzo Front
1966
Four Phases of the Italo- Austrian Conflict
Italian Alpine soldiers in their winter kits leaving the mountain A night attack. Italian infantry countering an Austrian move
trenches in a surprise attack on the Austrians. Despite the across an Alpine plateau. At the signal to charge, the Italians
intense cold, our Mediterranean ally acted on the offensive. are leaving the trenches to meet the Austrians half way.
Italian armoured car surprises an Austrian patrol in a
mountain pass. Notwithstanding the gradients, these powerful
machines were used effectively on the Carso front.
Huge Italian siege— gun in action against an Austrian mountain
fort. Italian artillery proved to be among the most powerful
and accurate ever devised.
1967
Italian Bersaglieri and Alpini in Action
With King Victor Emmanuel's troops. The picturesque crack
regiment of Bersaglieri is seen holding a trench with machine-
gun and rifle in the Alpine battleground.
Spoils to the victors. Italian soldiers gathering up trophies of
victory after a successful attack on an Austrian trench. The
booty included a machine-gun, rifles, and ammunition-boxes.
Daring Italian barbed-wire cutters, discovered by Austria
star-shell at night, defending themselves behind portable steel
screens.
Italian soldiers placing in position on the top of a parapet a
network of barbed-wire known as " the spider," for protection
against an enemy assault.
1968
• 1969
Facing the Austrian Onslaught in the Trentino
:.:tiz^z*™ th- „— -^ °™"-
D6, '«•«•" tr-nch... whll. the centre H.u.tration' ^'.0^ cheery '£$,'% "bi'mb."' "' 'r°m b6hi"d
MS
1970
1971
We ought not to allow Bulgaria to crush Serbia in older
then to attack «s with all her forces. . The national soul says thai
it is to the interests of Greece that Bulgaria should be crushed.
It Bulgaria should conquer, Hellenism will be completely
vanquished- — M. VEKIZELOS.
It is impossible to think or speak of Serbia without a tribute
to the wondrous gallantry with which that little country with-
stood two separate invasions, and has been struggling against a
third. She repelled the first two invasions by an efforl which, 1
venture to think, will form one of the most glorious chapters in
the hislorv of this great war. — LORD LANSDOWNF..
The Allies in
the Balkans
British heavy gun position at Salonika : " Laying " the gun before firing.
1972
1
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I-TJ
1973
From Field to Field of Britain's Endeavour
After a bayonet charge. British officers inspecting a captured
German trench before it was cleared of its tangled piles of
timber, wires, sandbags, and odds and ends.
British officer Jumping the "stone wall " — built of sandbags and bricks — at a gymkhana held at one of the British camps outs
Salonika. Inset above : Pipers of a Scottish regiment on the march through a quaint village street In Greece. The kilt was by no me
new to the Qreeks, who wear a similar garment called the fustanelle.
tside
ans
1974
Great Naval Guns Speak in the Balkans
Not in their element, but handy all the same. Jack Tar
ul.ng a large naval gun into placo somewhere in th
Balkans. Inset : Qun about to be fired.
Heavy artillery comes into action somewhere in th
(Striking official
1975
East Joins West to Uphold Freedom's Cause
Annemites from Cochin-China, part of the French Colonial Marine Infantry,
who came to Salonika to fight for the Allies. They wear light cane hats
covered with khaki cloth.
MOTHING was more remarkable in the Great War than the heterogeneous
assortment of races and colour seen in the field.
Britain and Germany alike utilised the natives of Africa on their respective
sides, although in the enemy's case compulsion rather than free will was
the policy. In addition to the inestimable help received from the white
men of her loyal dependencies, Britain was able to count upon her superb
Indian Army.
France received most valuable assistance from her Algerian and Moroccan
dark-skinned warriors, and we had the amazing spectacle of Chinese troops
arrived in Europe to fight on the allied side. A detachment of Annamites
from Cochin-China, forming part of the French Colonial Marine Infantry,
were brought to Salonika to meet the enemy.
Russian troops in France, wearing the now familiar steel helmet, march past the members of the Duma on the occasion of their
visit to the western front. Inset: A typical specimen of the Annamites, armed with rifle and bayonet, from Cochin-China, who
joined the allied army at Salonika.
1978
Hunting the Spy in Levantine Backwaters
Fishermen plying their work on Lake Langaza, near Salonika,
had to carry a permit and submit to its inspection by officers of
our motor patrol. This photograph shows boats being hauled
up because their owners disregarded orders.
r.-Jf£V gj
British motor patrol searching a floating hut on Lake Langaza for possible spies. Inset: Fishermen showing their permits to
f the British motor marine patrolling the lake. Note the machine-gun mounted for'ard.
1977
Aviation, Communication and Admiration
Communicating with headquarters at Salonika by flag
and helio. Left : General Sir Bryan Mahon and Lord
French's sister, Mrs. Harley, watching an aeroplane in
Might. Mrs. Harley was head of the Scottish Women's Hospital.
Rods in pickle for the enemy at Salonika. General Zimbrakakis, of the Greek Army, contemplating a British gun with
the admiration of a friendly neutral. (These three pictures are from official photographs issued by the Press Bureau.)
1978
On Guard Against Treachery Near Salonika
Enemy sharpshooters captured by the French near Salonika
Right : Qreek priest chatting with allied soldiers.
By underground from a British base camp to the firing-line
trenches in the Balkans.
Sergeant examining one of the passes necessary for those who wished to use the roads adjacent to the British positions outside
Salonika. Right: Greek patrol escorting Bulgarian deserters to Salonika. The fall of Erzerum, February 16thf 1916, produced
a great impression throughout the Balkans.
1979
The Rumble of War Through Macedonian Valleys
Enemy impressions of a Macedonian outpost at the entrance
to the Adler Pass, near Drenova, with a Bulgarian transport
column on the march in the background. It was through
country similar to this that the terrible Serbian retreat during
November, 1915, was conducted. Principally owing to a lack of
money, the Bulgarians were brought to a standstill, and it,
became evident that the Germans were unable to finance their
fratricidal friends into becoming a potent menace in the Balkans.
1980
Allied and Enemy Ordnance at Salonika
Five of the Krupp guns found at Karaburun, which dominates
the entrance to the Qulf of Salonika, when the Allies occupied the
cape during January, 1916.
Loading a machine-gun belt with cartridges at a British camp near Salonika. Right : One of the searchlights installed in
nemy station on Karaburun. On the cape were discovered Krupp guns so mounted that in the enemy's hands they would
have rendered Salonika untenable.
General Sarrail's guns at Salonika. A cheerful gathering of British, French, and native soldiers round some fresh additions
to the Allies' artillery in the Balkans.
1981
Four Splendid Hussars Fight Two Hundred Huns
1982
Enter the Russians in the Balkan Arena
?.U.d8tonk"nani!!rthrd."1friti*t1ir0mTy' Th<>ydidnot "«"'«-• Placing their kits on the grass aft. r a long march. Th.ir uniform,,
need to know th. lingo in order to fraUrni8e. with the exception of the topboots, are not unlike those of the British.
of a Levantine fort, having piled their kits,
Russian marines with kits on Qreek territory,
after the sinking of the transport Norseman.
1983
Military Movements Under Britannia's Shield
Somewhere in the middle sea. British soldiers billeted for the night on board a battleship during conveyance to another area of
hostilities in the Levant.
After the cramped dug-out, the spacious and stable deck of a British warship. Men of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force
moving from one place to another under the Navy's wing.
1984
Preparations for the Day on the Balkan Front
British guard on sentry duty at the Greek fort of Tuzla,
somewhere on the XEgean coast. Inset : General Mahon
and officers of his Staff at Salonika.
General Arbuthnot watching a duel between an anti-
aircraft gun and an enemy aeroplane near Salonika.
Lang, naval gun b.ina transported from the quayside at Salonika on to a powerful lorry, thence to be despatched to
the Macedonian front. A Greek soldier in national uniform is seen on the extreme right.
1985
Round About the Allied Base at Salonika
Novel method of transporting slightly wounded soldiers to the dressing-station
General Mahon photographed outside his
headquarter* at Salonika.
Enormous supply of ammunition at a French depot near Salonika. The third photograph on this page shows a British seaplane
about to land In the Bay of Salonika after making an aerial reconnaissance over the enemy's positions. N
1980
Serbs & Indians Ready to Take the Balkan Field
Serbian soldiers, after recuperating at Corfu, waiting outside headquarters at Salonika, there to be re-equipped for the front.
Column of Serbian infantry marching through a thoroughfare of Salonika. After their well-earned rest during the winter of 1915-16
the considerable forces of King Peter were ready to go into harness again.
Indian mule transport column coming into Salonika for fodder, while a body of French soldiere are leaving the town to take up
their positions in the lines. By the spring of 1916 most of the Allies were represented in the Levantine region, including British,
French, Russian and Indian.
1987
Impromptu Overtures to the Neutral Greeks
French military band accompanied by trumpeters gives a stirring impromptu performance at Salonika to the delight of
a hug. crowd of townsmen. It is interesting to note that the performers were wearing the regulation steel casque in
view of sterner work in the near future.
1»88
Gallant Serbia Again Takes the Balkan Field
Serbian veterans returned to the Macedonian front
early in 1916. These two photographs show the
respectively en route and singing martial airs.
All the Serbians had been reclotned and refitted in Corfu, and though they had already been through one terrible
campaign, these born fighters were naturally keen to get to the front line again. This photograph shows our undaunted
allies crossing a bridge on their way to the zone of operations.
1989
Emergency Treatment of Wounded at Salonika
With the British in Macedonia. A " casualty " arriving at an advanced dressing-station. The latter consisted of dug-outs
constructed in the hillside, where medical aid was available under rough-and-ready conditions.
A British soldier, wounded by a bomb from an enemy aeroplane, being carried off to the advanced dressing-station on
a stretcher. Naval men are seen in this photograph mingling with members of the sister service.
1990
With the British Staff on the Balkan Front
General Mahon (centre), commanding the Salonika Armies, with Lieut. -Colonel
CunliHe Owen (left), of the General Staff, and another officer, near a
barbed-wire entanglement.
Trench scene with the Salonika Army. Officers in a fire-trench. Inset above: "Tommies" preparing tea in the confines of a
trench hardly affording room for a flre. (Official photographs. Crown copyright reserved.)
1991
Saving a Comrade From the Uhlan's Lance
1992
Lord French's Sister Decorated at Salonika
Mrs. Harley, sister of Viscount French of Ypres, after she had been decorated at Salonika by General Sarrail— who is
standing on her left— with the French Military Cross for her devotion to duty in Red Cross work in France, Serbia
and Macedonia. Next to General Sarrail is General Meschopoulos, the Greek commander at Salonika.
Fire and fury from a naval gun. The scattering of the earth near the muzzle by the explosion is shown in
photograph. (Official photograph. Crown copyright reserved.)
the
1993
THEWARILLUSTRATED-GALLERYoFLEADERS
GENERAL SIR BRYAN T. MAHON, C.B., K.C.V.O
It was announced in October, 1915. that he was In Command of
the British Forces in Serbia.
1JHJ4
OF
THE GREAT WAR
GENERAL SIR BRYAN T. MAHON
A DASHING cavalry leader, one who was with Kitchener
throughout the Mahdi campaigns in the Sudan, who
relieved Mafeking, commanded the loth Irish Division
in the landing at Suvla Bay, won honours on the Serbian
front, and then went back to Egypt, Lieutenant-General Sir
Bryan Thomas Mahon is one of the most striking person-
alities in the British Army, and, in addition, a first-rate
sportsman, a fearless rider to hounds, an expert steeple-
chase rider, polo-player, and pig-sticker — the last-named a
distinction that is to be appreciated only by those familiar
with Anglo-India.
Services in India and Egypt
Born on April 2nd, 1862, at Belleville, County Galway.
the son of Henry Blake Mahon, Sir Bryan was gazetted to a
lieutenancy in the 2ist Highlanders in January, 1883,
changing the following month into the 8th (King's Royal
Irish) Hussars, of which he became colonel in 1904. Serving
in India from 1883 till 1889, he became captain in 1888, and
was adjutant from May, 1890, till June, 1893. In l893
he had his first taste of the Nile water, being attached to
the Staff of the Egyptian Army from that year until
January, 1900.
Staff officer of the Cavalry Brigade in the Dongola
Expedition of 1896 (despatches and D.S.O.), he became
major in October, 1897, and was present in 1898 at the
battles of the Atbara and Omdurman, being given a brevet-
lieutenant-colonelcy in 1898. He was A.A.G. Flying
Column and attached to the Intelligence Department in
the operations which led to the final overthrow of the
Khalifa, being awarded the Egyptian medal with eight
clasps and the 2nd Class Medjidie.
An Adventure at Omdurman
After the battle of Omdurman he was reported killed,
but presently appeared covered with dust and blood. He
had fallen in a fierce charge and lay for a time stunned in a
deep gully, beneath a heap of dead bodies and with a dead
horse partially pinning him down. Save for a few bruises,
he was none the worse for the adventure.
Sir Reginald Wingate, referring to General Mahon's Sudan
services, wrote of him : "I cannot speak in sufficiently
strong terms of the excellence of the services performed
by this officer. His personal disregard for danger, intrepid
scouting, and careful handling of men, all fit him for high
command."
On the outbreak of the Boer War in October, 1899,
General Mahon was in Abyssinia, but the following February
saw him on special service in South Africa. Promoted
brevet-colonel, and with the temporary rank of brigadier-
general, he started out from Kimberley on the morning of
May 4th at the head of the Mafeking Relief Column. The
force included 900 mounted men, 100 picked infantry,
4 guns, 2 pompoms, 55 mule waggons containing
provisions for 16 days, forage for 12 days, and some
medical stores. Baden-Powell, who had been besieged since
October I3th, 1899, had intimated that he could hold out
till May 22nd.
Leader of the Mafeking Relief Column
On the first day the Relief Column covered nine miles ;
on the second, twenty-five. The enemy was eluded till
the 1 3th, when a commando of some six hundred was met
but driven off, at a comparatively trifling cost. But the
column had to go twenty-eight miles the next day for water
— an indication of the arduous character of this forced march
of over two hundred and fifty miles.
On May I5th, at Jan Marsibi, eighteen miles from
Mafeking, the column was joined by Colonel (now General
Sir Herbert) Plumer's force of Rhodesians, Canadians, and
Queenslanders, which also came under General Mahon's
command. On the i6th Mafeking was sighted, and then,
eight miles from the little town, the column was confronted
by an entrenched force of two thousand men under Delarey.
After five hours' fighting the last obstacle was overcome
and Mafeking entered, at 3.30 a.m., on May iyth.
" During the fiercest of the firing — and for a while it wab
very fierce," wrote one who was there, " Mahon showed
imperturbable coolness, with the bullets flicking up the dust
all round him. Seated bolt upright in his saddle, he gave
his orders as quietly and methodically as if on parade."
For his services he received the medal with three clasps
and the C.B.
Governor of Kordofan
Winning golden opinions as an administrator, he was
from January, 1901, to March, 1904, Military Governor of
Kordofan, with headquarters at El Obeid, four hundred
miles below Khartum. The post involved some further
fighting and, incidentally, the addition to his honours of
the 4th Class of the Osmanie.
Promoted major-general in 1906, and lieutenant-general
in 1912, when he received the K.C.V.O., General Mahon
held several appointments in India, including that of the
8th (Lucknow) Division ; and then he was given the
command of the loth (Irish) Division, which went out to
Gallipoli. Save for the loth Hampshires, this Division was
composed of new levies from Leinster, Munster, and
Connaught. Their first experience of being under fire was
in the terrible landing battles at Suvla Bay.
With the 10th Division at Suvla Bay
Formed in the autumn and winter months of 1914, the
loth Division completed their training at Aldershot, and
left for the Mediterranean in June, 1915. The landing at
Suvla took place at dawn on August yth, and after ten hours
of continuous open fighting against machine-guns, artillery,
and some of the best fighters in the world, in conditions made
horrible, too, by the scorching heat, these hitherto untried
troops carried the famous Chocolate or Dublin Hill. And
even then there was no respite. For five days and nights
these troops lay in the captured Turkish trenches before
they could be relieved.
The work begun so gallantly at Chocolate Hill was carried
on with heroism no less historic till January, 1916, when,
under General Mahon, the loth Division went to Salonika
and performed in the Serbian mountain passes above Lake
Doiran what General Sarrail pronounced to be one of the
most striking feats of arms of the whole war. Acting as a
rearguard against an army ten times their number, they
enabled the Franco-British forces to withdraw to their
defensive positions without the loss of a gun or a transport
waggon.
In Salonika as in El Obeid, General Mahon's duties were
diplomatic as well as military in character, and his consistent
tact and never-failing courtesy made an admirable im-
pression on King and people as well as on our French
Allies. French appreciation of his services took the
form of the insignia of a Grand Officer of the Legion of
Honour and the Croix de Guerre.
General Sarrail's Tribute
In May, 1916, General Mahon was transferred from
Salonika to a command in Egypt. His departure was the
occasion of general regret. " General Mahon and I,"
said General Sarrail, " went through some very difficult
moments together, and I found him not only an ideal
collaborator, but a real friend."
" General Mahon's genial and soldierly personality,"
wrote Mr. G. Ward Price from Salonika, " had made him a
very popular commander with all ranks of the British Army
here. The time he spent at the head of this (the Serbian
Expeditionary) Force was one rather of hard work than
of glory. How hard it has been can only be realised when
we remember that when General Mahon landed here, not
the least vestige existed of the elaborate and admirable
army organisation that covers the countryside for scores
of miles round Salonika to-day. Nor has General Mahon's
task been one of straightforward labour only. It has been
complicated by being involved in a most delicate political
situation, which has constantly given rise to difficulties
that the general met with unfailing tact. He has laid, in
conjunction with General Sarrail, the sure foundations, as
all hope, of future victory for the Allies in the Balkans."
If Lord Kitchener could be said to have had a "favourite
officer," Sir Bryan Thomas Mahon was that man.
ions
The valour of the troops who fought under Genera!
Townshend at the Battle of Ctesiphon is beyond praise.
The 6th Division exhibited the same dauntless courage
and self-sacrifice in the attach that has distinguished
it throughout the campaign in Mesopotamia.
The dash with which the Indian troops (enlisted from
all parts of India) have attacked a stubborn foe in well-
entrenched positions I attribute largely to the confidence
with which they have been inspired by the British
battalions of the force.
When forced by greatly superior numbers to act on the
defensive, and during the retreat to Kut. under the most
trying conditions, the troops responded to the calls made
on them with admirable discipline and steadiness.
They proved themselves to be soldiers of the finest quality.
— GENERAL SIR JOHN XIXON, K.C.B.
In
Mesopotamia
and Egypt
Under way for Kut-el-Amara : "Ships of the Desert" passing along the Tigris bank.
1996
1997
True Tales of the War by Famous Correspondents
When I was Wounded on Chocolate Hill
By H. W. NEVINSON
Special Correspondent in the Dardanelles
IT was last August 2ist, and the day before 1 had lain in in the bay were preparing the assault. The Turks answered,
my tent at Imbros, knocked over by an African lever On previ'ous days they had sometimes fired on our ships,
my tent at Imbros, knocked over by an African tever
which still returns after ten years. Up at the first dawn,
On previous days they had sometimes fired on our ships,
with some effect. But the range was long. That day
1 crept down to the quay, constructed by the simple process they concentrated on Chocolate Hill.
of sinking a steamer at right angles to the shore, and em-
barked on the trawler for Suvla Bay. Those trawlers from
the North Sea — what splendid service they have done 1 "If
the Kayser had knowed as we'd got trawlers," said one of
the skippers to me, " he'd never have declared war ! "
The Lay of Scimitar Hill
The passage across to the Gallipoli Peninsula is about
The naval shells pounded rapidly. Each shot struck the
top of Scimitar Hill as though to grind it away. One would
have thought no trench and no man could exist under such
blows. But I had watched that sort of work before, and
knew that naval guns are not much use against trenches.
They hit what can be seen, but for trenches you must hit
the invisible. The " Hows " (short for howitzers) often do
it, but hardly naval guns. Ordinary field-gun shrapnel is
fifteen miles. On landing at the north point of Suvla better. So I was thinking as I watched those great black
1 went up the rocky^ hillside to the carefully-concealed clouds rise like magic trees from the low and silent summit,
headquarters of the Ninth Army Corps, and there the
Chief of Staff told me the General proposed a big attack
that afternoon on Scimitar Hill. 1 knew that hill well.
On our first landing, at dawn on August 7th, I had noticed
the low hill marked by a broad and
bare patch, curved just like a Turkish
scimitar, but I could not foretell
what trouble it was to give us. It
was also called Burnt Hill, because
shells set the scrub on fire during an
earlier assault, when some of our
wounded and Turks were unable to
escape from the flames. On our
maps it was marked as Hill 70, from
its height in metres. It stood about
two and a half miles from the inner
curve of Suvla Bay, and barred our
farther advance. Already I had seen it
twice assaulted in vain, and I knew
that our dead lay scattered behind
the trees and bushes on its slope.
So off I tramped along the curving
beach, and then struck inland across
the broad expanse of crusted mud
called the Salt Lake. That Salt Lake
was exposed to shell fire over its
whole surface, and, as one ap-
proached the farther side, sharp-
shooters' bullets always began to buzz
and whine around, or to fall with a
and fade away into the dull, hot haze of afternoon.
The men in the front trenches were preparing to advance.
They picked up their rifles ; they fixed bayonets. It was
the moment when the strain of battle is tensest. Shrapnel
burst over our hill ; high-explosive
crashed into its rocks and blackened
scrub. I heard neither one nor
other. All my thoughts were con-
nmielist'. who contributes centrated upon those khaki, dirty
this vivid True Tale of figures making ready for the charge.
the War. was present in Suddenly, as sometimes in a
the Greco-Turkish Warof thunderstorm, a terrific crash sounded
1897, the Boer War, and close- above my head. Instantly came
was representative of the a blow like a trip-hammer falling on
my skull. There was no other sen-
sation but a tremendous, smashing
blow. No waiting, no fear, no pain.
I fell like a slaughtered ox, but was
up again next second. I heard a
able street fighting .in Moscow in 1906, and machine-gun officer say, "Are you
Mr. H. W. NEVIN-
SON, the eminent war
correspondent and
Macedonian Relief Com-
mittee in the Monastir
Vilayet, 1903. He has
travelled much in Central
Africa and Russia, where
he witnessed the memor-
enjoyed the distinction of conveying the English hit ? " I put my hand to my head,
address to the first President of the Duma. Later, and looked at it. Blood dripped
Mr. Nevinson visited the Caucasus and India, from all the fingers. " I suppose I
He was one ot the three official correspondents on
Gallipoli, and his thrilling experience in an attack
on Chocolate Hill forms the subject of the present
narrative. Among Mr. Nevinson' s works are
am," I said.
I saw my brown shirt running
with blood. It was soaked with
blood. I felt the warmth of the
' In the Valley of Tophet,'' "The Plea of Pan,'' b, d Jik ht t against my
Between the Acts, The Dawn in Russia, etc. .• .,...,,,. &
skin. I wondered that a man could
have so much blood in him. " If
startling splash into the thickened mud. On the farther that shirt's washed," I said to myself, " it will 'the multi-
ciAt* rt-\co < hr> *ilmrte + /*irr>n \ir Viill r-«i 11*^»-1 ^V»*^^^-\lo<-^ t rf\rv\ if C +ii*-1inj-nie c^io' »«^« 1-1 ,.,,-. I i .,,. I ' "
side rose the almost circular hill called Chocolate, from its
brown soil laid bare by the burning of the bushes. The
tudinous seas incarnardine !
I heard a cry of " Stretcher !
Stretcher ! " I'm told
Royal Irish Fusiliers had driven the Turks from their I kept repeating, " I'm not going away. I must see the
trenches there at the first landing, and we ' had since battle ! I must see the battle I " I don't remember that,
entrenched it carefully ourselves, running one continuous but I remember taking a bandage from my pocket, and
trench all round its circle near the top, constructing
emplacements for mountain guns and machine-guns, and
the machine-gun officer helping to tear it open and bind
it tight round my head. I told the men not to bother
digging a short communication trench forward from it to about a stretcher because I could walk. I also remember
another lower hill, which was our most advanced position.
Working round by the circular trench to the front of
the hill, I stood on the firing ledge to look over the
parapet. All seemed quiet in front. There stood Scimitar
Hill, hardly more than half a mile away. A little beyond
it to the right rose a hill called W, from the shape of its
crest, on which the Turks had big guns hidden. Farther
still to the right, a plain of fields and trees; arid, beyond
a strong objection to being led away, and how the crowded
men along the trenches called out, " Gangway ! Gangway
for the wounded ! " at the sight of so bloody a figure. But
all the time I felt little pain, and no fear.
An Exhilarating Sensation
They hurried me along the crowded trench to the rear
of the hill, and into a sheltered dug-out. There an R.A.M.C.
that, the precipices and mountain ravines of Anzac. It • orderly wiped the blood out of my eyes and mopped great
all looked peaceful. But I knew those thin lines across pinkish clots, or " gouts," of it off my shirt, looking like
the hills in front were crammed with Turkish rifles, and
close before my feet were our own lines, running over hill
and plain, also crammed with rifles.
It was nearly three. Suddenly from the sea behind
me sounded a portentous crash, and from the top of Scimitar
Hill in front arose a great black cloud of mingled smoke
lumps of brain, which he thought they were. He believed
the skull was broken, and wanted to take off the bandage
to see. But I refused to have it moved because the broken
skulls I had seen always made a man unconscious, and
I wasn't unconscious in the least. I only felt a queer
exhilaration at being still alive. I have felt the same
and dust and fragments. Another crash, another cloud. after the crisis in dangerous fevers. It was as though life
Another and another, till the top of Scimitar Hill seemed
to be exploding like a great volcano. The naval guns
congratulated me on being still in its company.
This pleasurable feeling was increased by the appearance
[Continued on page 1998.'
1998
WOUNDED ON CHOCOLATE HILL (fX'"im
of my friend, Lester Lawrence, of Reuter's, who, besides
myself and my other friend, Ashmead-Bartlett, was the
only British war correspondent in the Dardanelles. He
had generously brought my pith helmet, the crown of
which, cut to pieces by the shell, had just saved the skull
from cracking. " A poor thing, but my own," I said,
in contemplating its ruin, and the two Shakespearean
quotations were the only evidences that the mind was not
quite normal.
Then I sat alone, watching the blood drip, fast at first,
then slowly. At last it almost ceased to run, and I walked
back alone to the trench, the men again shouting, " Gang-
way for the wounded ! " In exactly an hour after being
struck I was back on the same position, and noticed the
rocks still sprinkled with blood. The only difference I
observed in myself was a slightly increased fear at the
sound of approaching shells and their explosion overhead
or close by, and a slightly increased caution about cover.
I had no sense of pain and none of weakness, in spite of
all that loss of blood. The pain came at night, when,
after walking back the four or five miles, I reached the
hospital on Suvla Point, and the surgeons worked off the
sticking bandage, felt the exposed skull all over, still
fearing a fracture, and rubbed iodine into the big, raw
wound.
I write all this personal stuff only to comfort the hundreds
of thousands whose sons, brothers, husbands, fiiends, or
lovers have been wounded or killed in this war. But for
the pith helmet I should have been killed, and I should
have felt no pain. I should have felt nothing at all. Even
a wound is not necessarily painful. Some wounds are,
but many of my friends have had bullets into them and
felt only a comfortable warmth. For myself the blow
has left no consequences except a deep and lasting groove,
shaped just like a scimitar, on the top of my head. It
makes an excuse for increasing baldness, and if I am taken
prisoner by the Turks I can point to it as an outward and
visible sign of the Crescent and the Prophet's faith.
But what of the many fine men whom I saw stretched
out upon the hillside, isolated or in little groups, during
that terrible day of battle — a battle which failed in the
end ? For them there was no fortunate escape. For
them life ended in the middle. All I can say is that the
more I see of death on the field the more I am astonished
at the quality of courage, and the greater envy and admira-
tion do I feel for those who possess it.
Heavy gun on a railway mounting at the moment of firing. (Official Crown copyright photograph from the western front.)
1999
On the Way to Kut : Scenes in the Tigris Valley
Line of captured Turkish tranches at Es Sinn. The advance to ralsa tha siege
of Kut-el-Amara was handicapped by the heavy floods and pestilential swamps.
~l ^^-^••••lll« ii
' Ships of the desert" being loaded up with supplies and ammunition. Right: General SirQeorge F. Qorringe, C.B.,
leader of the relief force that, in spite of great odds, gained splendid victories along the Tigris.
e F. Qorringe, C.B., C.M.O., D.S.O.
Steamship sunk by the Turks to block a channel of the River Tigris. The Mesopotamia marshes, which delayed the troops forcing
their way to relieve General Townshend, were notorious In the days of Alexander the Qreat, who lost his bearings among them.
2000
Following the Relief Column Towards Kut
%
British battery in the desart while on the way to relieve General Townshend and his force, besieged in Kut-el-Amara since the
retreat from Ctesiphon, eighteen miles below Bagdad. General Townshend's division captured Ctesiphon on November 19th, 1915.
Turks captured during the fighting for Kut among the burning sandhills on the right bank of the Tigris. So intense was the heat
in Mesopotamia that, even when advancing unhindered by the one my, our troops could seldom march more than eight miles in a day.
Bridge of boats built by Indian sappers in Mesopotamia. One great advantage enjoyed by the Indo-British Force, among their
many difficulties and hardships, was that, with our access to the sea, we could Increase and replenish our Tigris transport indefinitely.
2001
Rear view of some Turkish trenches at the Es Sinn position to the east of Kut-el-Amara. A friendly Arab is following the
British officer on a reconnaissance of the enemy country.
THE GREAT EPISODES OF THE WAR
The Campaign in Mesopotamia to the Capture of Amara
IX their far-seeing plans for aggression the Germans had
taken Asia Minor well into consideration, and the
scheme of the Beilin-Bagdad Railway was the principal
menace to Britain's Asiatic possessions and prestige from
the moment the Deutsche Bank advanced the money for
the launch of this ambitious enterprise.
With Turkey as an ally, and having regard to the possibility
ol a Jehad should the religious fanaticism of Oriental races be
aroused, the German dreams for expansion and conquest east
of Suez, at the expense of Britain, were never nearer realisa-
tion than in November, 1914. Enver Pasha, the evil genius
of the Ottomans, had yielded to German overtures, Imperial
marks, and promises, and began to gamble with the already
bankrupt Turkish Empire. It was inevitable, therefore, that
this country should send an expeditionary force to Meso-
potamia, ostensibly to guarantee British integrity.in the East,
immediately to safeguard the invaluable Persian oilfields.
New War in the Old World
Thus it was ordained that Mesopotamia, the ancient
forum of civilisation and conflict, should resound to the din
of battle, that the eternal phantom armies of desert and
oasis between the Tigris and Euphrates should take mortal
shape again, that the drums the dragoman ever hears on
the stilly desert air should be real drums of new hosts
marching to battle. Ghosts of Assyrian, Babylonian,
Greek, and Arab, who had fought thousands of years ago
over this historic land, were destined to witness another
epic. Xenophon and his armies who had lost their way in
the tortuous region of the two great rivers, the traditional
boundaries of Eden's garden, might stand stalwart and
erect in the untrodden dust of centuries and contemplate
the new legions, armed with strangely new weapons, and
mark with wonder-stricken eyes the great white wings of
the iron bird as it soared majestically into space.
Under the jogis of sea-power, Lieut. -General Sir Arthur
Barrett set sail from India in the first days of November,
1914, with an expedition made up of a division of infantry,
auxiliary troops, and light cavalry. Each brigade of the
division embodied a battalion of British troops, the rest
being composed of Indian forces. The British battalions
were the 2nd Dorsets, in the Poona Brigade, the ist Oxford
Light Infantry, in the Ahmednagar Brigade, and the 2nd
Noifolks, in the Belgaum Brigade. No Time Lost
So promptly was action taken that when war was declared
by Turkey the Poona Brigade, under Brigadier-General
Delamain, was already at Bahrein, with the balance of the
expedition under way from Bombay. General Delamain
left Bahrein to assault the fort of Fao, situated at the
mouth of the Shat-el-Arab, on November 7th. Operating
in conjunction with the troops were H.M.S. Odin, an armed
steam-launch, and a party of Marines. The attack on Fao
was carried out in a businesslike manner. Within an hour
the fortress had fallen, and was occupied by British troops
as a base for the expedition.
Proceeding about thirty miles along the Shat-el-Arab, in a
varied fleet of transport, General Delamain's brigade arrived
at Sanijeh, entrenching and consolidating the position
while awaiting the arrival of reinforcements from India.
Though several skirmishes took place, no important attack
was launched by the Turks until the night of November gth.
This was repulsed, the Indians following up this success
by driving the Turks from a valuable village position.
The new brigades from Bombay arrived in the Gulf and
steamed along the Shat-el-Arab past Abadan, the head-
quarters of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and joined
their comrades at Sanijeh.
News soon arrived of the movements of a large Turkish
army from Basra, a city renowned for its association with
" The Arabian Nights. General Barrett at once ordered
the Anglo-Indians forward to meet the fee, who were en-
countered at Sahil. The Turks had entrenched themselves
in a favourable oasis position, in front of which stretched
a barren plain, offering no cover for attackers, and further-
more being in a state of quagmire through exceptional rain.
[Continued on page 2002
05
2002
THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA '^'^T
Nothing daunted, General Barrett decided to carry the
position, and mobile guns on the river tugs, as well as the
field artillery, subjected the Turks to an effective bombard-
ment. The enemy was clearly alarmed by the efficiency
and valour of this attack, and retreated in hot haste, leaving
1,500 out of an estimated 4,500 men incapacitated, or more
than four times as many as the Anglo-Indian casualties.
After this defeat the Turks decided to evacuate Basra, and
a message came through that the Arabs were plundering
the place. General Barrett thereupon selected two bat-
talions to make a dash for the city, the 2nd Norfolks and
noth Mahrattas, to take possession and protect the few
British residents. These proceeded up the river in two
paddle-steamers, while the remainder of the division was
despatched across the plain on the same mission.
Many obstacles to impede the advance by water were
engineered by the Turks. To add to the natural difficulty
of navigation along the stream, ships had been sunk, and
batteries placed in concealed positions on the banks gave
considerable trouble. After a slight delay the British
troops entered Basra without opposition. The German
consul and some of his compatriots were sent as prisoners to
India. Basra was turned into a British camp, and every
precaution was taken to deal with coming Turkish activities
from the direction of Kurna, farther up the Tigris.
Fall of Kurna
Still pursuing the offensive, Lieut. -Colonel Fraser, with
a detachment ot Anglo-Indian troops, assisted by Brigadier-
General Fry, with the yth Rajputs and noth Mahrattas,
advanced towards Kurna, where they jointly achieved a
brilliant victory, investing the city and compelling the
garrison to surrender with 1,100 Turks and nine guns.
The British losses were a minimum of some hundred and
sixty killed and wounded.
Thus, within a few short weeks, the expedition had
carried all before it as far as Kurna. During February and
March, the Euphrates being in flood, operations were tem-
porarily suspended. *
To make ready for a general resumption of hostilities,
reinforcements moved, towards the close of the flood season,
to Ahwaz and Kurna, with General Sir J. E. Nixon, K.C.B.,
who was entrusted with the supreme command of the whole
expedition. The Turkish authorities having likewise
profited by the lull to draw up a plan of campaign, to gather
troops from military positions along the Tigris, and enlist
the organising ability of German militarists, three enemy
artillery attacks on Kurna, Ahwaz, and Shaiba were made
on April nth, 1915.
Only in the attack on Shaiba did the infantry take part,
German officers leading the Ottomans in open formation
towards the south and south-west of the British lines,
making, however, but slight progress. They managed to
wrest a dominating position a mile from the British lines,
but were finally dislodged by a furious Anglo-Indian charge.
To follow up their success, the British command decided
on a vigorous attack to drive the Turks out of their strong
positions near Basra, and on April nth a great movement
of the Anglo-Indian troops towards Zobeir, a few miles
south-east of Basra, was the order of the day.
Fifteen thousand Turks, with six big guns, were strongly
situated in tamarisk woods. Between the belligerents was
a wide sandy plain, affording no cover from the accurate .
Turkish gun fire, nor from the equally ferocious sun shafts.
Some of the most glorious British fighting of the whole
Mesopotamia!! campaign occurred during this battle. For
five torrid hours the advance continued, the magnificent
Dorsets and nyth Mahrattas being in the van. Charging
like men possessed, in the very teeth of the Turkish strong-
hold, flashing their bayonets in the noonday sun, the
reckless courage of these Anglo-Indians bewildered the Turks,
who fled in disorder to Nakaila.
Following the fugitive Turks by road and river, many
more were accounted for in killed and prisoners, bringing
their total losses up to 2,500. This victory assured the
immunity of Basra from the enemy.
The country having been entirely cleared of Turks and
kindred hostile tribes, principally owing to the bad weather
conditions, nothing of outstanding importance occurred
until the beginning of June, when General Townshend,
with Sir Percy Cox, the chief British resident on the Gulf,
and a contingent of troops proceeded along the Tigris as far
as Amara, which important city surrendered, adding
another seven hundred prisoners and forty officers to our
army of captives.
Sea-Power in the Desert
The fall of the city was due to the use of bellums, other-
wise a type of punt about thirty-five feet in length with
two and a half feet of boom, and propelled by poles.
The sight of this extraordinary flotilla, consisting of
hundreds of bellums following in the wake of the three armed
sloops, Clio, Odin, and Espiegle, the Royal Indian Marine
steamer, rafts and other boats carrying field-guns and
munitions, must have struck terror into the superstitious
Turks, and it is not surprising that they showed a clean
pair of heels at Amara, retreating to Kut-el- Amara, about a
hundred and thirty miles farther up the Tigris, leaving the
British expeditionary force in command of some two hundred
miles of the immemorial river, thus bringing the original plans
of the Persian Gulf campaign to a triumphant conclusion,
entirely holding up the Bagdad commerce along the Tigris,
and saving the vital pipe line of the Persian oilfields.
4HHP******"*
Turkish trenches from the rear. In his despatches from Mesopotamia Mr. Edmund Candler has written : " The Turkish trenches
at Sheikh Saad were of excellent design, being deep and narrow, and the troops could move quickly along them without exposing
themselves. Some were held by Arab irregulars." Inset above : Friendly Arabs in a trench somewhere in Mesopotamia.
2003
British Charge Through the Tigris Swamps
The progress of the Kut relief force, under General
Qorringe, was necessarily slow by reason of the swampy
ground on either side of the Tigris in the neighbourhood
of Sanna-i-Yat, about fourteen miles from Kut. The whole
country in this region is sodden, and our troops had to depend
on heliums (a type of punt) for transport. This spirited drawing
represents a British attack on the Turkishtrenches, our soldiers
having to wade through a fluid which is neither mud nor water.
2004
Wayside Calm and Conflict Towards Kut
Prayers before battle. Members of the Kut relief force attend an open-air
•ervice conducted by an Army chaplain amid the luxurious vegetation of the
Tigris Valley. The trenches can be seen in the foreground.
Turkish prisoners captured during the relief operations, behind the barbed-wire,
guarded by a British sentry.
Linking advance column with base. Engineers
erecting telegraph wires en route to Kut.
2005
The Arab Patrol on the Tigris Flood
There i* little atmosphere of modern warfare about this picturesque scene on the Tigris. These two Arabs in their graceful
gondola are patrols on the look-out for Turks, and as far as their appearance and craft are concerned might have taken part in
Assyrian or Babylonian wars, or witnessed the Turkish hosts annihilate the armies of the Persian Fire Worshippers at Ctesiphon.
2006
Strenuous Effort in the Valley of the Tigris
British battery in action during the Battle of Sheik Saad, on the left bank of the Tigris, looking towards Kut. British forces under
General Qorringe made a determined attack here on January 7th, 1916. This area afforded little or no cover to the belligerents.
Some idea of mud in Mesopotamia. Indian transport in difficulties.
nset : A little grey home in the East, not far from the Garden of Eden.
Sea-power in the desert. Qun aboard a monitor, sweeping the Tigris, about to fire on Turkish batteries concealed
along the shore. The report of the meeting of the Russian and British troops in Mesopotamia, May, 1916, was a herald
of still greater events in this romantic old-world scene of conflict for new ideals.
2007
Beasts of Burden in Asian and African Areas
Horses for transport work with the British Expeditionary Force in Mesopotamia being ferried across the Tigris. With a lack of
mechanical transport, the war-horse found plenty of work to do in the Persian Qulf area of the world-wide war.
Denizens of the desert arrive in British East Africa from India. Camels having proved the best means of transport in B.E. Africa,
a large number were requisitioned, and some of them are seen coming ashore from native boats.
2008
Along the River Way to Kut : Impression of the
""HE traditional glamour and romance of war may be said to have
passed from highly organised Europe with the introduction of
the big gun, the high explosive, railways, and other inventions of
the workshop and laboratory. Only by going farther afield, to the
changeless East, did a permanent picturesqueness introduce itself
into the chapter of brute and mechanical force. Along the sluggish
Tigris, round about the alleged site of Eden, save for an occasional
aeroplane, a primitive steam vessel, and a few weapons of modern
calibre, the war dragged on in a dreamy environment, with charac-
teristic Oriental leisure. With our access from the Persian Gulf to
2009
Old World Tigris in the Twentieth Century War
i
within a few miles oi Kut-el-Amara there was a constant procession
3f soldiers and transport along the Tigris. The most familiar and
modern vessels were paddle-steamers, each displacing about five
hundred tons, and towing two lighters. These moved slowly up
and down stream, keeping pace with the troops on either bank,
each acting as a parent ship to a brigade. Following in its wake, a
number of romantic-looking mahailas with gracefully-curved prows,
upon which appeared some inscription in Arabic, and rigged with
large lateen sails, carried supplies to replenish those of the paddle-
steamers. Palm trees, blue sky, anrl yellow sand complete the picture.
2010
Slav and Briton Meet in Mesopotamia
With the Red Cross in the Orient. Mule-drawn ambulances proceeding to the zone of operations on the Tigris.
Battery of heavy guns in the sodden desert. The heavy rain in Mesopotamia
greatly impeded British transport.
H ""THE tremendous power and resource of the
European Coalition against the Central
Empires was proved in May, 1916, by
events of great significance. The entry of the
Russians into the western field and the meet-
ing of Russian cavalry with the Indo-British
troops in Mesopotamia gave the German
General Staff cause for considerable unrest.
Previous news of the Russian troops reported
them to be as far away as Khanikin, eighty-five
miles north-east of Bagdad, and the rapidity
with which the horsemen gained General
Gorringe's camp demonstrated the strength
and speed of the Grand Duke's advance. The
Ottoman people had never been enthusiastic
about the war, and an allied coup in Mesopo-
tamia was likely to bring about a secession
of the Turks from the cause of Kaiserism.
On May 2oth General Lake reported that
the Turks on the south bank of the Tigris
had fallen back as far as the Shat-el-Hai,
and that the British armies on this bank had
advanced to within five miles of Kut.
Turkish prisoners captured at Sheik Saad on their way to draw water in a motley collection of vessels— petrol tins, an Oriental
pitcher, and a military flask. They are under guard of some of the Indians who have fought so heroically for the Empire, under
perhaps the most trying conditions that any fighting men had to endure.
2011
The Flame of War in the Palm Groves of Eden
With the Anglo-Indians in Mesopotamia. Palm-
shaded oasis on the banks of the Tigris, and
two British soldiers in the act of pumping
drinking water into a filter cart.
Indian transport en route to the base through a date grove,
picturesque impression from the land between the rivers.
Novel use for "frightfulness." German mine
which was converted into a Tigris buoy.
2012
THE GREAT EPISODES OF THE WAR
The Advance on Bagdad and Memorable Siege of Kut
IN the early days of July, 1915, evidence was to hand of
certain dangerous intriguing on the part of Prince
Reuss, the German Ambassador at Teheran. The
collapse of the Warsaw salient, the apparent inactivity of
the Russian armies in the Caucasus, and the British deadlock
on Gallipoli constituted singularly favourable circumstances
for a Turkish partition of Persia. Prince Reuss had already
enlisted sympathy for his scheme from some of the Swedish
officers who had control of about six thousand armed police, a
force established by Britain and Russia for the purpose of
keeping the highways of Persia free from professional
brigands and nefarious nomads. This enterprising German
aristocrat had hopes of gathering together a sufficient
number of armed men to bring about a rapid conquest of
Persia, and then to throw overwhelming numbers against
the Admiralty oilfields and the right flank of the British
Mesopotamian Expedition.
It was, therefore, imperative that some great effort should
be made to counteract this conspiracy, some important
victory created to restore the Empire's prestige once and for
all throughout Asia. Certainly the obvious plan was to
proceed to Bagdad, the City of the Caliphs, the most
romantic and influential centre of the Old World.
The fall of Bagdad would undoubtedly have proved a
tremendous moral triumph. The effort, however, was
foredoomed, not through any lack of courage, determination,
and skill on the part of General Townshend, but through a
fatal misconception of the enormity of the task compared
•with the handful of men to whom it was allotted.
It must be borne in mind that a garrison was essential in
the north to keep the pipe-line inviolate, and a large number
of men were required for the occupation of the towns running
from Amara to Kowcit, on the Persian Gulf.
Summer in Unlovely Eden
Before any serious attempt against Bagdad could be made,
a concentration of Turks at Nasiriyeh on the Euphrates had
to be dispersed, these being in a position to attack General
Townshend in the rear or drive into his flank.
At this time, the height of summer, the climatic conditions
in Mesopotamia were beyond mortal endurance. In the
desert the temperature rose to 130 degrees, and water was
as scarce as it was unpalatable. The flaming atmosphere
buzzed from sunrise to sundown, and throughout the night
•with pestiferous flies and mosquitoes. Britons, and even
Indians used to a tropical climate, suffered terribly, and a
general outbreak of sickness occurred in the ranks. The
irony of the situation was emphasised by the knowledge that
this identical spot was reputed to be the sylvan setting of
the Garden of Eden. The Norfolks and Dorsets, dreaming
-of the rare beauties of their home counties, could not but
discredit the alleged glories of the birthplace of civilisation,
especially those who were detailed off to guard the date-
gardens and marshes in the Garden of Eden, one of the most
arduous duties that fell to the lot of any fighting man.
They were certainly incredulous as to Eden's claims, though,
with characteristic humour, they christened some of the
more important thoroughfares Serpent's Corner, Temptation
Square, and Adam and Eve Street.
After their defeat at Shaiba, on April nth, 1915, the
scattered Turkish units retreated along the Euphrates to
Nasiriyeh, and were there joined by large reinforcements, sup-
ported by heavy artillery brought from Adrianople. The
military value of Nasiriyeh may be gathered from the fact that
it is the junction with the cross-desert canal Shatt-el-Hai,
running towards Bagdad. With Nasiriyeh still in Turkish
occupation, an enemy descent on Basra was ever a possibility.
The Turks occupied powerful entrenchments on both sides
of the river, and strong forces deployed along the old channel
of the Euphrates, which wends its way through a wide
stretch of water known as Lake Hamar, to join the Tigris at
Kurna. Over this stagnant lagoon the flotilla of heliums
-was propelled during the third week in July to within seven
miles of Nasiriyeh under command of General Gorringe.
Two brigades of the division disembarked on the west bank,
while the third was requisitioned to work through the
groves and date-palms on the left bank. As a precautionary
measure a reserve brigade from Amara brought up the rear.
On the morning of July 24th the enemy positions were
subjected to a smashing bombardment by all the guns that
could be mustered- — howitzers, field, and mountain pieces.
The 2nd West Kents advanced through the date-groves
under cover of eight machine-guns. In spite of a withering
Turkish fire, the West Kents never wavered a second,
stormed the enemy trenches, and got to work with cold
steel. The Turks were clearly demoralised by this onslaught,
and evacuated their trenches with surprising alacrity. The
rest of the brigade then went forward to support their
comrades, bringing up fresh supplies of ammunition. A
peculiar feature of the Turkish trenches was a covering of
matting which, though acting as a protection from the
ferocious sun, blinded the enemy to the extent and vigour
of the British attack. After the capture of further trenches
and four loopholed towers, what remained of the Turks
retreated precipitately, and victory rested with British arms.
On the other bank of the river the Hants Territorials, emulat-
ing the West Kents, had met with equal success, and shared
with them the laurels of the day. Fa,, of Nasiriych
Nasiriyeh was occupied on July 25th, and a thousand
Turkish prisoners, seventeen guns, five machine-guns, 1,586
rifles, and a large quantity of ammunition were captured.
After the position at Nasiriyeh had been made secure,
General Nixon began to transfer troops to Amara in order
to concentrate against the Turkish armies collecting in the
region of Kut under Nur-ed-Din Pasha. The Shatt-el-Hai
being unnavigable at this period, the sole means of advance
was along the Tigris.
From August ist to September I5th General Townshend
and his famous 6th Division had advanced to Sanna-i-Yat,
eight miles below the Turkish positions before Kut-el-Amara.
Nur-ed-Din's positions were of unusual strength.
extending for about twelve miles astride the river, organised
with great thoroughness as to barbed-wire, military pits,
dynamite mines, and communications. The river itself
was blocked with sunken barges and tangled cables.
On September 26th General Townshend advanced, having
rapidly evolved a plan to envelop the Turkish left with his
principal force, but carrying out certain manoeuvres with
the intention of deceiving the enemy into the belief that the
main attack would be made on the right bank. A large
force made a feint movement, and a huge dummy camp was
erected, but during the night a bridge was constructed, and,
without the Turks knowing, the troops crossed to the left
side of the river.
The action started on the 28th, the i8th Infantry Brigade
under Major-General Fry making a pinning attack, and the
1 6th and iyth Brigades under Brigadier-General Delamain
working frontally on the flank entrenchments of the Turks,
as well as moving wide round the enemy's flank to attack
him in the rear. The indefatigable Dorsets and nyth
Mahrattas once more distinguished themselves in this action,
being the first troops to enter the enemy's trenches. By two
o'clock in the afternoon the entire northern part of the Turkish
position had fallen. Magnificent indo-British Charge
After resting, General Delamain moved his column to the
assistance of the i8th Infantry Brigade, but a strong Turkish
reinforcement forced him from his objective. The new
enemy troops moved to the attack, and General Delamain 's
men, notwithstanding the fact that they were in a state of
fatigue bordering on collapse through incessant fighting in
furnace heat, rallied miraculously at the prospect of getting
at the enemy in the open. In one magnificent bayonet
charge they rushed the Turks before them. Nur-ed-Din's
men, fighting with fatalistic courage, could not withstand the
inspired fury of the Indo-British, and the Turks were routed.
During the night the enemy abandoned his position, hurrying
along the Tigris bank to his stronghold at Ctesiphon, some
twenty miles from Bagdad. The Turkish losses amounted
to about 4,000 men and fourteen guns, as compared with
1,233 British casualties. ICantlntted m ^ ,m3
2013
THE ADVANCE ON BAGDAD '*££",£',£'"»
Following up this victory the riverside town of Azizie
was occupied, whence General Townshend's heroic division
set out on its fateful mission towards Bagdad, it being con-
sidered that these few thousand men would be able to capture
this historic citadel, and link up with the advanced columns
of the Russians in the Caucasus. By November igth Zeur,
haying fallen into British hands, the attack on Nur-cd-Din's
main defences at Ctesiphon was imminent.
The ruins of this historic city, the winter residence of the
great Parthian kings, were about to re-echo with the clash
of arms. Apart from its strategical importance, the
Turkish commander chose Ctesiphon for battle on account
of its Moslem significance. In the shadow of the superb
palace ruin of the Arsacidae, the modern Turk could be
expected to guard with fanatical fury the gate to Bagdad
which, though of Persian origin, was a scene of Islam's
traditional prowess. As each insignificant unit under
Xur-ed-Din's command was conversant with the Koran, so
was he aware that at Ctesiphon the mighty Persian dynasty
had bitten the dust, and it behoved him to strike hard at
the infidel once again for the glory of Allah.
Thirst Stays Townshend
On November 22nd an Indo-British Division went into
action against four Turkish divisions, and literally swept them
clean out of existence, taking eight hundred prisoners and
holding on to the captured position till nightfall on the 24th.
Alas, that this victory could not be pushed to a great finality,
owing mainly to a lack of water ! General Townshend's
division had no alternative but to retire, after having all but
achieved its onerous task. The Turks pressed on the retreat-
ing division in greatly superior numbers under the military
direction of the redoubtable Von der Goltz, who died in
harness shortly afterwards — the victim, it has been said, of a
Turkish officer disgusted with the German tyranny. Large
numbers of wounded men, 1,600 restive prisoners, and the
remnants of the heroic legion, thanks to General Townshend's
leadership, found their way back to a bend of the river at
Kut, fighting a desperate rearguard action at Azizie.
And then began the memorable siege — the only long siege
of the present war — lasting for twenty weeks.
Kut-el-Amara is no romantic city of the " Arabian
Nights," where spreading mosque and slender minaret
relieve the star-strewn Oriental skies, but as drab, insanitary,
and inconsequential a collection of mud huts as can be
happened upon even east of Suez. The sullen Tigris all
but encircles it. Hardly a tree or a building intercepts the
monotonous horizon. General Townshend was to be relied
upon to take every advantage of these natural values, and he
further strengthened the position against the siege. During
December the Turks subjected the place to prolonged
bombardment, but their efforts to storm the position cost
them such a heavy price in casualties that Nur-ed-Din left
"General Hunger" to bring about the capitulation of Kut,
and waited his time.
Difficulties of Relief Column
Meanwhile, General Aylmer was fighting his way to
relieve his colleague, and he approached on one occasion to
almost within sight of the beleaguered garrison. The
Turkish position at Es Sinn, astride the Tigris, the northern
flank resting on the impassable Suwaicha Marsh, and the
southern on a tributary of the Tigris at Atab, was too
powerful, on account of the floods, to be breached. General
Gorringe himself, at the head of the wonderful I3th Division
from Gallipoli, carried the Turks' first and second line at
Umm-el-Hannah and Felayieh on April 5th and 6th, 1916,
but torrential rain and resultant floods intervened, dissolving
every effort. The advance of the relief force continued, how-
ever, until April i yth, when it was as near as eleven milesfrom
its objective. Heavy Turkish counter-attacks took place on
this date, and the enemy's casualties numbered 3,000 killed.
The last effort to communicate with the besieged camp
was the attempt of the relief ship laden with supplies to run
the gauntlet, but the vessel grounded four miles from Kut.
Throughout the twenty weeks of his critical ordeal General
Townshend's fighting spirit and cheerful temperament were
a source of encouragement and hope to the men under him.
" Going strong, everything all right, shall be relieved
soon," he flashed out early in January, and his reply to the
King's inspiring telegram will go down to history as a
touching example of patriotic expression from a soldier of
genius in extremis. " It is hard for me to express by words
how profoundly touched and inspirited all ranks of my
command have been by his Majesty's personal message.
On their behalf and my own I desire to express to his Majesty
that the knowledge that we have gained the praise of our
beloved sovereign will be our sheet-anchor in this defence."
But no sheet-anchor could hold out against hunger, and
Kut-el-Amara fell into Turkish hands on April 2Qth, 1916,
together with several thousand of the finest fighting men who
ever took the oath of allegiance to sovereign and Empire.
How Nur-ed-Dtn, the Turkish commander in Mesopotamia, reinforced his armies before Kut-el-Amara. Ottoman reserves
proceeding along the Tigris on specially-constructed rafts flying the Crescent at the stern.
2014
Wounded Heroes from Kut Recoup at Basra
'After th. fall of Kut, April 29th, 1916, the Turks sent the British sick and wounded back to the Br.t.sh Imes
these men are seen convalescent outside th. little hospital at Basra. Camera test.mony to the hardships s
garrison is afforded by the photograph (right) of one of the famished arr.vals m the Br.t.sh camp.
our
ed by the
Deck scene on a hospital ship on the Tigris showing
wounded from Kut standing about and in their cots.
Wounded officer from Kut being taken ashore from a
hospital ship by Indian orderlies on arriving at the British lines.
The less serious cases were gently assisted
across the ship's gangway by willing helpers.
i/iew of the landing of wounded when one of the hospital ships
from Kut reached the British lines at Basra.
2015
Clean Fighters : Clean Hands & Clean Conscience
ROM Ca "".fter'a^ ' "oin« 'nto «"""• * flt 8""i«c' •<"• " companion painting for Lady Butler's famous picture of " The
II Call after action, for the bravery of these Indian soldiers in Mesopotamia was equal to that of the Guards at Inkerman
2016
Indian Fighters and Arab Bargees on the Tigris
Mule transport, in charge of an Indian
and a British soldier, passing along a
palm-grove in Mesopotamia.
Indian troops in their element. They found campaigning along the Tigris
a congenial change from the French trenches. They are seen besieging a
wayside store like happy schoolboys.
Busy scene along an ancient waterway in the Tigris Valley. Arab coolies helping to fight the Turks by unloading fodder
from barges. The Arab is an elusive and perhaps unreliable ally, but he invariably throws in his lot with the winning side
2017
Anzac Swords & Bombs Scatter Enemy in Egypt
While awaiting the great day when they would meet their
" favourite " enemy the Germans on the west front the
Anzace performed some good work for the Empire in Egypt.
Their valour and their wonderful fighting experience gained
on Qallipoli were used to considerable advantage among hostile
Arabs. On May 31st, 1916, Australian and New Zealand
mounted troops delivered a smashing attack on an enemy post
in the desert of Bir Salmana, near Katia. The enemy was
routed, and scattered units were further pursued and bombed
by British airmen, as illustrated by the above impression.
2018
2019
Beasts of Antiquity Engaged in Armageddon
Camel train about to leave Cairo for the frontier. The camel proved an indispensable auxiliary to th9 Egyptian Army,
both as a " cavalry " mount and as a beast of burden.
Merry crowd of Australians in charge of the truckloads of Egyptian and Sudanese camels. Arriving at the rail-head on
the east or west frontier, the camels thence set off on their desert marches to the front.
Meal-time at the camel camp in Cairo. " Ships of the desert" leisurely partaking of their evening meal before entraining for the
front with the troops in Egypt. In addition to their transport work, camels were used for reconnoitring across the sandy was
2020
War Scenes and Incidents East of Suez
Picturesque impression of Dar-ea-Salaam, chief port of German
East Africa, showing the harbour and church by the beach.
Turkish officer and doctor leaving a steamer at Kut-el-
Amara, followed by their wives, veiled with yashmaks
after the custom of Mohammedan women.
Conveying wounded soldiers in native boats across the
flooded desert between Shaiba and Basra. A difficulty of
the Mesopotamia campaign was the lack of transport.
2021
Stormy Days in the Threatened Protectorate
After a stormy night In the desert. Egypt is by no means immune from
cold wind and weather, as the appearance of these Britons testifies.
A quiet pipe outside a re-erected tent which was
blown down during the storm.
""THE enemy had always hoped to strike at
Egypt, and every attempt was made to
convince the Allies that such was their purpose.
It is possible that the Germans were unable to
get the support of the Turks in such an enterprise
after the fall of Erzerum. Turkey was not too
pleased with the turn of events, and frequently
expressed a desire for peace, but a few powerful
Ottomans in the hands of the Junkers held un-
disputed sway over the Sultan's Empire. But for
the Senussi tribes, doubtless incited to mischief
by the promise of German gold, things were as
usual along the Nile in the spring of 1916,
though all precautions naturally were taken to
guard against any attack in force.
These exclusive photographs, which were sent
by a correspondent in Egypt, are singularly novel
in showing that the Land of the Nile is by no
means immune from stormy times, in spite of the
fact that there was no Turkish invasion in the
immediate programme.
R.A.M.C. station on the brink of an oasis in the Egyptian del
heavy wind was blowing, judging from the movement of the pi
ert. A
Ims.
Twb irrepressible Britons going through their toilet.
The water having failed, they are making the best
of • bad job with yesterday's supply in the well.
The storm at the R.A.M.C. headquarters was so violent that several of
the tents were blown down, and the men's greatcoats came in very
handy in the circumstances.
2022
Bedouin Hostility Broken Down by British
From the Antipodes to the Land of Old Nile. Australian troops on parade at th
g camp near Cairo.
British and Australian officers holding a consultation in the desert of Western Egypt, where, In March, 1916, the force under Major-
General Peyton drove the Arab raiders who had crossed the frontier from Tripoli into Egyptian territory from So Mum.
Camels arriving at the western frontier to take part in the
operations. The occupation of Sol lu m by Major— General
Peyton's force, on March 14th, 1916, meant in effect that
Egypt was cleared of the border raicers. Camel corps,
cavalry, and armed motor-cars pursued the defeated
marauders. Some of Sayed Ahmed's Bedouin chiefs sur-
rendered, and starving Bedouins, with their families, flocked
into the British lines for food and shelter.
2023
Following the Drum in Ancient Persia and Syria
Panorama of Ispahan, the most important town in Persia next
to the capital, occupied by the Russians on March 22nd, 1916.
. Si i K.J V I*"**
SCTO.4*
Turkish reserves destined tor the Tigris training in Syria. The inset photograph shows the enemy at work on the Berlin-Bagdad
Oallwav in an obstinate endeavour to realise this dream of rail-power before the day of Nemesis dawned on ths Qerman Empire.
2024
Western Juggernauts in the Mysterious East
British armoured car crossing the Kabul River (Indian North— West Frontier) , where a fleet of these vehicles did much
useful work against the restive Mohmands during October, 1915. The car is traversing the river by a bridge hastily
improvised, but none the less suited to its purpose.
Three armoured cars retiring down Subhan Khar after a recon-
naissance. Inset circle : Armoured car covering the right flank of the
cavalry brigade in action near Shabkadar, North-West Frontier.
About to start on a reconnaissance. Armoured cars ready for adventure in the mysterious frontier regions of Central
Asia. These speedy weapons of war must have caused consternation among the somewhat primitive tribes who were
Incited by the Germans to cause trouble on the Indian North-West Frontier.
2025
We are not only fighting Prussia's attempt to do. in Ms
instance, to all Europe what she did to non-Prussian
Germany, but fighting the German idea o/ the wholesomeness,
almost the desirability, of ever-recurrent war. Prussia under
Bismarck deliberately and admittedly made three wars. We
want a settled peace in Europe and throughout the world
which will be a guarantee against aggressive war
The Prussian authorities have apparently but one idea
o/ peace — an iron peace imposed on other nations by German
supremacy. They do not understand that free men and free
nations will rather die than submit to that ambition, and that
there can be no end to war till it is defeated and renounced.
— VISCOUNT GREY OF FALLODEN.
Peeps
Behind the
Enemy
Lines
Traitor or trickster 7 Two French officers interrogating a German prisoner as to the enemy's dispositions.
2020
With the Baffled Foe on Four Fighting Fronts
The state of Serbian roads may be gathered from this photo-
graph, showing a German officer's carriage up to its axles in mud
Large bridge at Jerablus, where the Bagdad Railway crosses
the River Euphrates, a hundred miles east of Alexandretta.
How a Hungarian advance guard forged ahead under the
protection of an iron shield.
Bavarian troops resting in a ruined village naar Verdun, preparatory to returning to the suicidal assault on the French positions.
Inset: Curious effect of shell fire on a villa in liberated Alsace.
2027
A German Officers' Training Class. The German military instructors were great on theory, and had precise instructions
for dealing with numberless situations, but their theories fell to pieces when the unexpected arose, with the result that their
military plans went sadly astray.
How German Military Plans Failed
By MAJOR GEORGE W. REDWAY, the Eminent Military Critic
FIVE generations of Prussians have been bred to arms.
Their leaders in war and teachers of the military art
are world-renowned. For fifty years the genius
of Moltke was dedicated to the service of the Prussian
Army, and he with Roon, the War Minister, and Bismarck,
the master of policy, formed the triumvirate that crushed
in turn Austria and France what time the present ruler
of Germany was a schoolboy.
Forty years of peace were then devoted to preparation
for the next war ; the growth of Krupp's gun lactory was
watched with fond eyes by the military caste, and the
Prussian Military System became the last word in
centralisal on ; for the Kaiser, as legal head of the Army,
disposes of th? Military Cabinet, the Ministry of War, the
General Start, and the Corps Commanders. Like another
Louis XIV. or Napoleon, this absolute monarch seemed
to have the world at his feet, but in character he is an
" impulsif," according to his former Chief of Staff, Von
Schlieffen, and in the opinion of another close observer,
General Bonnal, he is a " velleitaire," whose volition is
constitutionally defective.
Now it is a precept in war that policy and strategy should
keep step, and when Austria and Germany had agreed to
assail Russia and France it was the obvious policy of the
Central Powers to keep Great Britain out of the field, a
stroke easily managed by avoiding Belgian territory.
The Primary and Capital Error
This was not done. Strategy overruled policy on the plea
of military necessity, stating on August 4th, 1914, that the
German Army was " exposed to French attack across
Belgium," and that it was for Germany " a question of
life or death to prevent a French advance." Yet France
had given assurance on this head a week before, and it was
evident that a defensive organisation of the German
frontier between Aix-la-Chapelle and Thionville would have
checked any such enterprise. Moreover, a French invasion
of Belgium would have invited attack in the rear from King
Albert's Army. Actually, the French commander made
no move northwards until the direction of the German
advance had disclosed the Kaiser's plan, and ever., then his
first efforts were directed against Alsace-Lorraine. So
their western campaign opened with a military blunder of
the first magnitude on the part of the German Staff.
The French were beaten in Alsace on August yth, and a
fortnight later were defeated in Lorraine. Why, then, did
we not see a deployment of the German main army on the
line selected by Moltke in 1870 ? There are a score of
first-class roads between Switzerland and Luxemburg,
besides the Rhine-Rhone and the Rhine-Marne canals,
and even across the Vosges between the Donon and the
Hartmannsweilerkopl are half a dozen mountain railways.
The front extends trom Longwy to Delle for one hundred
and fifty miles, and a strategical deployment screened by
the Vosges, protected by the fortresses of Strassburg and
Metz with the Rhine as a lateral communication, could
hardly be bettered.
Now the Germans put into the field between August 2nd
and October 4th no fewer than fifty-two corps and ten
cavalry divisions, and such a force concentrated in Alsace-
Lorraine our neighbours would have found it hard to with-
stand, in the absence of that moral support which was
afforded by the vanguard of the British Army, and lacking
the breathing space which -Belgium's gallant defence
afforded them. It was Moltke's saying that " mistakes
in the original massing of the armies can hardly be retrieved
in the whole course of a campaign," and the resolve of the
Kaiser to assemble his main army in Belgium was the first
step towards his undoing. Nor was this capital error
redeemed by the subsequent proceedings.
Lost Chance to Annihilate Prance
Napoleon's maxim for invaders still holds good : " The
primary objective against which we must direct all our
efforts is the enemy's main army." Indeed, Goltz calls
this " the first principle of the modern conduct of war."
General Joffre's forces at the end of August were distributed
in three groups — the right wing was near Nancy, still sore
from the trouncing it had received at the Battle of
Morchingen ; the central mass (ten corps) was north of
Verdun across the Meuse ; and a third group, the left
wing, stood on the line Conde-Mons-Charleroi on both
sides of the Sambre. But the gaps between these armies
were enormous, and, moreover, they were in echelon — that
is to say, the left wing was seventy-five miles north-west
and the right wing fifty miles south-east of the centre.
Never was such an opportunity for destroying piecemeal the
parts of a divided front. Moreover, the French generalissimo
on August 2oth had ordered his centre and left to go forward
and attack. Their lack of real offensive power is indicated
by General Joffre's objurgations upon " divisions ill engaged,
rash deployments, and precipitate retreats, a premature
waste of men, and, finally, the inadequacy of certain of
our troops and their leaders." He removed two of the
three army commanders concerned. We can imagine how
Napoleon would have manoeuvred against these forces
to keep them in position, or draw them on by a feigned
retreat as at Austerlitz, the better to smash them on gaining
their flank or rear, and so finish the campaign at a stroke.
But the German commander — the " impulsif " — rushed
the discomfited Allies off the field as if to pursue an enemy
before he had beaten him. General Jofrre's four armies
thus escaped to the Seine, where the strategic reserves
became available. Marshal Hindcnburg bungled matters
in the same iashion in Poland when the Grand Duke was
nearly enveloped, and so did Marshal Mackensen in Serbia.
[Continued on page 2028.
2028
HOW GERMAN MILITARY PLANS FAILED
Indeed, the German leaders seem incapable of any finesse,
they possess no military tact, and fail to understand that
without it " the enemy's main army " cannot be brought
to book. The late Marshal von der Goltz alone has effected
a strategic coup : it is the author of " The Conduct of War "
whom we have to thank for General Townshend's " Sedan."
In rapid sequence to these two military blunders in the
opening campaign came a third one- — namely, the Kaiser's
decision to fortify the line between the Meuse and the Oise,
and thus renounce the field operations in which a real
general with a real army finds the means of decisive victory.
" Movement is the law of strategy," says General Foch, and
to resort to the spade within 75 miles of Paris was a German
confession of weakness which put new heart into the Allies.
At first, no doubt, the intention was to make the entrenched
force a pivot of manoeuvre for other operations to the north
and west of Paris. But part of the Kaiser's army — about
three corps — was still involved in the Belgian adventure, and
it became necessary to strip the Alsace-Lorraine theatre
of the troops of the Prince of Bavaria. These attempted
at the end of September, 1914, between Arras and
Compie'gne, to secure Amiens, but the German advance was
again arrested, and again the spade was called into service.
Meanwhile, the army of occupation in Belgium had
allowed King Albert's forces and the British marine division
to slip through its fingers and block the line of the Yser.
Germans Resort to Diabolical Aid
The Duke of Wurtemberg's army was now brought
from the Meuse and, together with that of the Prince of
Bavaria and General von Fabeck's three corps, began what
was called by the German Press the " Battle of Calais."
Their attack died away at Ypres after desperate fighting,
and the operation demonstrated that, unit for unit, the
Allies had the whip-hand of their opponents. The spade
was once mpre requisitioned. In this manner the flower of
the ^German Army, the product of half a century's pre-
paration, and directed by a General Staff which on a
peace footing numbered five hundred picked officers, found
its level in the west. Upon the whole we may say that it
fared little better in the east, but reticence at Russian
Headquarters prevents any useful discussion of the
campaigns in Poland.
The " brain " of the German Army having failed to evolve
an effective strategy in the Meuse campaign, and German
tactics proving inadequate at the first Battle of Flanders,
the Kaiser's evil genius prompted him to exploit the
resources of chemical science in aid of gun and howitzer,
bayonet and bullet. For the vaunted skill of his generals he
substituted the humble talent of a professor in pneumatics.
Simple forms of gas producers were constructed during
the winter of 1914-15 behind the German lines, and so
well was the secret kept that towards the end of April,
near Ypres, the Emperor William was able to witness a
four-mile breach in the French defences made without
firing a shot. Asphyxiating gas had been pumped into
the trenches of the Turcos and Zouaves in order to suffocate
or poison them ; and those who contrived to escape to the
rear were found gasping for breath, and vainly trying to
gain relief by vomiting.
filuck Fails on the Aisne
By this abominable device the Germans secured an
opportunity to acquire the Pas de Calais — the Department
which includes the ports of Boulogne, Calais, and Dunkirk —
to hem King Albert's Army against the coast, compel his
surrender, and then annex Belgium. For such an occasion
at least twenty corps, including four of cavalry, had been
assigned to the Flanders front by the German Staff — more
than double the force employed by Moltke to defeat
Bazaine — and yet nothing was accomplished. History will
ask the reason why. Meanwhile, the various units of the
Allies which stepped into the gap at the critical moment —
notably the Canadian division on the right of the French
— may plume themselves on having inspired in the
aggressors a wholesome fear of treatment not less efficacious
though more soldierly than that which had quite literally
opened the road to Calais — to Calais in three easy
marches ! So near and yet so far.
Meanwhile, the French Army on the Aisne had launched
an attack upon the enemy holding a plateau to the
north- east oi Soissons between Crouy and Vregny. It was
one of those local enterprises of which the Allies have been
perhaps a little too fond, and on this occasion the counter-
attack was promptly delivered. In the course of the
fighting a flood carried away all the bridges save one, and
the French on the north bank, cut off from support for
several days, should have become the prize of the enemy
whom fortune had so signally favoured. But to the
astonishment of the French Staff, the redoubtable Von
Kluck took no steps to exploit the situation, and eventually
General Castelnau's troops recrossed the river with the
loss of a few guns,, a mile of ground, and, of course, the
casualties due to a week's hard fighting. The town of
Soissons remained in French hands, as well as the bridge
at Venizal.
Indecision at Loos and Verdun
Another fair field for German enterprise presented itself
at the end of September, 1915, when the Allies had spent
themselves in a series of violent assaults at Loos and
Souchez in Artois, and at Souain in Champagne. At this
juncture the German Staff had no higher tactical inspiration
than to meet the shock by a local counter-attack, which
recovered only a portion of the lost ground at a prodigious
cost. But it is by the application of force to the points
where the enemy is feeble that great victories are won,
and on this occasion the German Staff, after locating our
concentration, had the advantage which is held by the
second hand at cards.
It is perhaps early to pronounce upon the Kaiser's
New Year enterprise at Verdun, but after two months of
secret preparation and sixteen weeks' fighting, his gain is
not great in territory, and his operations have been least
successful on the left, or west, bank of the Meuse, where
alone any strategic advantage could be reaped. However,
it is not too late for the German Staff to retrieve the eiror
in their original dispositions, which has resulted in colossal
losses and a waste of time which General Petain has
doubtless turned to profit. The fantastic statement of the
" Berliner Tageblatt " — that twenty-five German divisions
have been opposed by fifty-one French divisions at Verdun —
would, if true, convict the German Staff of incredible folly
in venturing to attack a fortress with a force fifty per cent,
weaker than the garrison.
Miscalculation and False Supposition
The militarists used to tell us that a standing army was
maintained as the instrument of the national will, to-
perform certain technical services of which the civilian
has no knowledge, or for which he is otherwise unfitted.
We were assured that the metier of trained soldiers was to-
settle a national dispute promptly by force of arms, to-
convince the enemy of the futility of further resistance,
and end the war while their compatriots got on with their
work in the world. But we shall listen to no such doctrine
in future. The Prussian Staff, adopting the theories of
Bernhardi, plunged into war on the supposition that the
Army of France would be lacking in discipline, that the Army
of Great Britain was a negligible quantity, and that the Army
of Russia was infected with sedition. The German troops
employed to vindicate these opinions had lost one and three-
quarter million men — exclusive of a million "slightly
wounded " — at the end of April, 1916.
The German Army has completely discredited the
profession of arms, since it attained no permanent success-
when at its maximum of efficiency, and then, having sought
out many inventions, was hoist with its own petard. It
was the failure of the German Army and Prussian Staff
to achieve the aims of the Kaiser that brought into the
field the German " nation in arms " and its sympathisers,
and this development has compelled the Allies to oppose
them with every fit man of military age. And there the
matter stands to-day. Taken in bulk, all the armies are
now citizen armies — improvised soldiers — and man for man,
perhaps, as snipers, bomb-throwers and what-not, they do
as well as one another. But the " nation in arms " is
hampered already by fighting at a distance from its own
frontiers, and will experience month by month the graver
disabilities arising from a diminished trade and — unless our
statistics are at fault — a depleted treasury and a decline in
man-power. Moreover, it has yet to feel the worst effects,
of awakening, in the twenty-second month of the
the fighting spirit of its most formidable antagonist.
2029
The Crown Prince's Emblem of Good Fortune
One of the French positions In the famous Crows' Wood west of the Me use which fell into the hands of the Germans
In the Verdun Battle. The fight for this sinister-named forest approached in fury the terrific combat for Douaumont.
After changing hands several times the Germans retook it on March 10th, 1916.
A striking photograph of the Crown Prince taken on the Verdun front. The horseshoe— appropriately the wrong way
up — which was carried on the car failed to bring him luck despite the continued sacrifice of thousands of lives in the
desperate gambler's effort to break the French line.
2030
How Krupp Guns Are Tested at Essen
Field-guns leaping over a series of traverse rails, while being towed by a locomotive. This was one of the severe tests to which new
German guns were subjected at the great Krupp Works in order to make certain that their carriages can withstand heavy shocks.
New Krupp guns being hauled by a locomotive over big stones beside the track in the ordnance yard at Essen-. Right: Field-
howitzer bumping over a round beam placed across the rails.
^ — ^ ^— — _^_^^^^^^^^^^j^^^^— ^^^— - ... . .«£ali&4NM9MHHIIIIIHMMH^^BHHMHMHIMBHHHHBHt
Testing a new field-gun for horse artillery over rough ground near the Krupp Works at Essen. These severe trials were made
to test the power of the guns' mechanism to withstand shocks while in motion without becoming deranged.
2031
Three Grenadiers: Civilisation at Lowest Ebb
By various deeds has Germany forfeited her claim to be re-
garded as civilised, but perhaps the most poignant expression
of her barbarity is the ugliness with which she hoped to
frighten her enemies into submission. Poison gas, Germany's
great surprise, gave her every opportunity to look thoroughly
monstrous. One wonders what a human being of A.D. 2016
will think of the nation whose fighting men looked as sinister
as these specimen grenade-throwers in the German lines.
2032
2033
Germany Organises Against the Hunger Wolf
- — -^ — — — — ^_^__^^^^__^^_^^^^^_^^_
Count von Hertling, Bavarian Premier,
appointed Minister of Provisions.
Cannes Mi!t$ssen
ortion 3
Pictorial proof of food shortage in Germany. Crowd of
Bet-liners round the public stalls buying portions at three-
pence-halfpenny each.
"THAT the food question in Berlin, and generally through-
out the Central Empires, became acute was proved
by the appointment of Count von Hertling and Herr von
Batocki as Ministers of Provisions during the crisis.
The British naval blockade and the probability of a
poor harvest set the German organisers on the alert lest
famine should prevail, and the Fatherland was virtually
put on rations. Food tickets became general. In fact,
after June 5th, 1916, meat and fat were only obtainable
on presentation of a meat card, the supply being regulated
in accordance with whatever was available for consumption.
A system of State soup-kitchens was also introduced
in Berlin and other populous cities, where the poor could
procure soup for 35 pfennigs, or 3^d. per portion.
The apparent scarcity of meat was relieved by a super-
abundance of vegetables, and the tendency in Berlin
was to rely more than ever on vegetables as the best avail-
able substitute for meat.
The photographs on this page are all illustrative of the food
problem, and how it was dealt with in the enemy's capital.
The notice reads, "State food stall. Warm lunches at
threepence-halfpenny each." A popular feature of Berlin.
Herr von Batocki, President of East
Prussia, the German Food Dictator.
Mobile food kitchen in Charlottenburg, a system that was adopted by the State
for the benefit of the poor.
R5
2034
2035
Through German Eyes : Two Phases of the War
German schoolchildren ot the Black Forest district, having collected stacks of journals for their relatives in the trenches, are
dragging them to the town-hall of a small town. This was the result of a " Paper Week " held in the Black Forest.
Gormen sailors warding off a hostile aeroplane from an armoured cruiser. It will be seen that the enemy handyman are using
rifles, which soon came to be considered by all belligerents as the most effective " Archie " available.
2036
2037
Incidents of the Austrian Efforts Against Italy
'Mid the pines and heights. Austrian machine-gun
position in the Tyrol.
""THE Austrians, who made preparations on a
par with those of their ally before Verdun,
met with a stern Italian resistance and counter-
attack on the Trentino front. It was
unfortunate for the Dual Monarchy that General
Brussiloff should have timed his offensive in
Volhynia to coincide exactly with the Austrian
effort against King Victor's army.
The sweeping successes of the Russian armies
had, to a great extent, upset the Austrian plans
for an effective drive into the plains of
Lombardy. A large number of troops and guns
had to be diverted to meet the Russian onslaught,
apart from the fact that our Italian friends
fought with an inspired vigour and heroism
which recalls the conduct of the French soldiers
in the fateful sector of the Meuse.
The illustrations on this page are reproduced
from enemy journals, and show various incidents
and phases of the war amid the Dolomites,
from the Austrian side.
Field smiths at work with the Austrian armies on the Isonzo front, where
horse transport is preferable to motor-cars.
Observation-post in the Austrian Tyrol. Winter scene where fighting men
looked like Polar explorers.
Austrian outpost in action with Italians on the Isonzo front. A brush with
Italy's immemorial enemy.
Street in Qorizia, showing Austrian soldiers
in occupation of the bombarded town.
2038
Martial Clatter Echoes with Mountain Cascade
The awe-inspiring snow-capped Dolomites, lined with sombre ment of munitions towards positions in this beautiful Alpine
fir-trees, long Ihe resort of tourists, were overrun with the setting where our Italian ally held his hereditary foe. This
sinister traffic of war. Therollofthegunsand clatter of martial picturesque scene illustrates the march of an Austrian munition
hoofs echoed simultaneously with the music of the cascade. The column along a mountain path. Mules we re mainly used for this
years 1915-16 witnessed the passing of troops and the move- work because of their sure footing on the moss-grown boulders.
2039
Austrian Alpine Soldiers Amid the Dolomites
2040
2041
The Hand of Science in the Cause of Humanity
^^^H^^^HH^H^HHIEBMMHBMKjMn ^M^^M __^__ -^ r- 9f
whrh h ° *h i Bert90nie aPP'yina the electro-vibrator, ol
which he .8 the Inventor, to locate a shell-splinter in a man's
neck. Above: German bacteriologiststaking serum from sheep.
h0.Undt"hdeya.awam.nes'iV!nH T-°"" , 6l<>ct,riC-|i9ht »''«*'"••'» '" a hospital at the base. Sur.ly the gods must have laughed
i they saw men so industriously using science to repair the harm they caused by their own misuse of science!
2042
2043
Austrian Activities in Montenegro and Albania
Austrian transport column forging along the Montenegrin countryside. In the Spring of 1916, Franz Josef's soldiers were
busy organising the defence of Montenegro and Albania in the event of an allied offensive in the Balkans.
2044
Austrians Prepare for New Russian Offensive
Bringing up supplies of machine— gun ammunition by sledge
for Austrian forces somewhere on the eastern front.
Austrian field— howitzer aboutto fire against Russian stronghold.
The distance of the gunners from the weapon is remarkable.
Some of Franz Josef's soldiers disposing of the snow to
facilitate military operations, general transport, etc.
A long and lonely vigil in the snow. Austrian outpost in
Volhynia, a Russian province that borders on Qalicia.
A bleak and barren waste. Abandoned Russian trenches in
the neighbourhood of a village in Volhynia.
In Central Europe, when bitter cold prevailed. Austrian
soldier surveying the enemy position from a captured fort.
During a lull in the fighting. Honved troops repairing
barbed-wire entanglements destroyed by a violent blizzard.
Held fast in a drift. Austrian battery up to its axles in snov
on its way towards the fighting front;
2045
Crash and roar on t/te summer seas,
Smoke enshrouding the azure waves —
Britain wins through after fights like these.
Gaining new strength from her sailors' graves.
Tears, aye tears with the hearts bereft,
Pain and weeping are War's decree.
Part of the pattern for ever weft
By the loom that is working out Victory.
Adamant grit is the better part ;
In hamlet and city, vale and strett,
Firm and strong beats the nation's heart
With solid trust in the British Fleet.
— JESSIE POPE.
\
The War by
Sea and Air
Qame to the last ! Two men and an officer of the British Destroyer Shark, decks awash, defy the German Fleet in the Battle
off Horn Reef, May 31st, 1916.
2048
2047
BATTLE PICTURES OF THE GREAT WAR
The British Naval Victory off Jutland
By EDWARD WRIGHT
IN chess, a good player often throws out a pawn to be
captuied, with the subtle design of trapping his
opponent and making him pay dearly for taking the
piece. This is a gambit. The masterly British rout of the
German Fleet between Southern Norway and Western
Denmark was the result of a Jellicoc double gambit, subtler
than anything in Nelson's methods of attack.
Yet Admiral von Schecr opened the involved movements
of the struggle in a way. that showed both skill and courage.
But the enemy commander based his plan on a wrong
conception of the quality of mind of Sir David Bcatty.
All the early spring of 1916 Sir David had been " barging"
about the North Sea and playing the part of a man of
careless, arrogant strength. As such Scheer accepted him,
and arranged to trap him in one of his favourite parading
grounds. The selected scene of action was the Little Fisher
Bank, a fishing shallow about three hundred miles due cast
of Aberdeen, and nearly a hundred miles from the coast of
Jutland. A German submarine flotilla appears first to
have submerged near the Little Fisher with orders to wait
1he grand event. This event depended on the weather, as
the German scheme required a considerable amount of mist
in order to provide an exit in case of disaster.
Admiral Scheer's Plan of Campaign
The weather was promising on the night of May 3oth,
1016. So at dawn on Wednesday, May 3ist, Admiral von
Hipper, with five German battle-cruisers and attendant
small craft, steamed some two hundred and fifty miles
north of Wilhelmshafcn towards the spot where the ten
British cruising ships were likely to be met. A hundred
miles behind Hipper came Scheer with sixteen battleships
of the Dreadnought type and six of the pre-Dreadnought
class. Hipper had the Derfrlinger, Liitzow, Seydlitz,
Moltke. and a ship of unknown name. Beatty had the Lion,
Tiger, Queen Mary, New Zealand, and Indefatigable, together
with the new fast battleships Barham, Malaya, Valiant, and
Warspite, led by Rear-Admiral Evan-Thomas. Hipper's
task was to engage Beatty's division, and, at the price of a
long and terrible pounding, lead the ten British capital
ships and their light cruisers and destroyers into the
enveloping arms of the twenty-two German battleships.
The action began about two o'clock on Wednesday
afternoon. An innocent Norwegian cargo steamer, the
Fjord, was stopped near Little Fisher Bank by two German
destroyers. But two British light cruisers, the Galatea and
the Pheeton, opened fire on the destroyers. Then, as the
ships were getting the range, three heavy enemy cruisers
appeared and made the water dance in fountains with
salvos of large shells. The British light cruisers, which
had been steaming forward at thirty-two knots, turned
back but in retreating reduced their speed to twenty-five
knots in order to invite pursuit. Their design was, of course,
to draw the powerful hostile ships within range of the
13-5 in. shells of our leading squadron.
At half-past two the British battle-cruisers and the
German battle-cruisers sighted each other. Hipper was
then near the south coast of Norway, and Beatty's division,
which was steaming up from the south-east, was between
the Germans and their base. Hipper was apparently
trapped, if Bcatty could overtake him. Hipper turned
completely round, transforming what had been his vanguard
of destroyers and light cruisers into his rearguard, and
made a long, curving south-easterly course in the direction
of Horn Reef. Sir David Beatty, leading the six battle-
cruisers, made a curving parallel to Hipper's course, while
Rear-Admiral Evan-Thomas, leading the four fast British
battleships, took a straight short cut across the curve, which
would bring him near the Jutland coast on the line of
retreat of the German force.
For an hour and a quarter the chase went on without a
shot being fired. At a quarter to four the enemy was over-
taken, 'and the conflict opened with a shower of 13-5 m.
shells flung by our leading battle-cruisers against the enemy
ships ten miles away. Our gun not only threw a heavier
shell with more force behind it, but kept the great shell
straighter on the target. To get in turn a better aim,
Hipper bore down more to the south. This brought him
closer to his mighty battleship force.
By this means the two forces came about four o'clock
within six miles of each other. The conflict then was of
an infernal sublimity. It was like a hundred thunder-
storms. The sea rose in waterspouts, eighty to a hundred
feet high, where the salvos missed the zigzagging,
manoeuvring ships. But at short range most of the shells
struck home on the larger targets. Splinters hurtled about
the steel-clad decks, killing and maiming the heroic men
working the secondary armament with little or no armour
to shelter them.
The big gun was absolute master of the situation. The
battle-cruisers on both sides did not carry the proper weight
of armour for big-gun fighting. It was the essential principle
of battle-cruiser construction that armour should be
sacrificd to speed, and the ship was originally invented by
us for the purpose of chasing down and destroying at long
range hostile armoured cruisers that were breaking into our
trade routes. The modern method of concentration fire
terribly increased the hammering effect. Each squadron
selected one opposing ship and massed the general weight
of shell against her. The shooting of the Germans at this
stage of the struggle was remarkably good. They selected
our rearmost battle-cruiser, the Indefatigable, a ship of
18,750 tons, armed with eight 12 in. guns, and carrying some
seven hundred and ninety officers and men, under Captain
Charles F. Sowerby. The big ship staggered under the
tremendous weight of metal she received, and blew up
scarcely five minutes after the beginning of the hurricane
of fire. Twenty minutes later we lost one of our very finest
ships — the Queen Mary — of 27,500 tons, with armour two
inches thicker than that of the Indefatigable, carrying a
thousand officers and men, under Captain Cecil I. Prowse.
The Germans in Luck
In both cases it was accident rather than smashing force
that destroyed with startling rapidity one-third of Sir
David Beatty's battle-cruiser force. A shell tore off the
top of the turret and exploded inside, killing all the gunners
and wrecking the guns. Close to the guns was the open
ammunition hoist, and as apparently this passage into the
magazine was not closed by a door, owing to shells being
on their way to the guns, the flame of the explosion in the
turret swept down the hoist into the magazine, causing the
ship to be blown up by her own shells. Soon after the
Queen Mary went up in a volcano of steam, fire, and
smoke, a German cruiser in turn was destroyed.
It was about this time that the British battleship squadron
under Rear-Admiral Evan-Thomas completed its short
cut across the curve and fell into line behind the New
Zealand. Hipper was then within only twenty minutes'
steaming distance from his High Sea Fleet, and being
flushed with victory he maintained the terrific conflict
at short range. At a quarter to five came the decisive
crisis in the battle. The sixteen German Dreadnoughts
steamed close up to Hipper, and Hipper made a turn
directly northward in order to overlap Beatty's division.
Along "the new course that he took with his four remaining
battle-cruisers he was followed by three German Dread-
noughts of the Konig class, five of the Kaiser class, and the
rest of the sixteen German Dreadnoughts. The slower six
enemy ships of pre-Drcadnought type seem to have pro-
ceeded north-west, with a view to picking up fragments of
our division that seemed doomed to destruction.
Sir David Beatty avoided envelopment by executing
the sam'e turn northward as Hipper was carrying out,
and on both sides the turning-point was a deadly spot.
[Continued on paye 2048.
2048
BATTLE PICTURES OF THE GREAT WAR
(C' nttnued/rom page 304V.)
Our sailors named it Windy Corner. As each ship steamed
round she came under a prolonged, concentrated fire from
all the opposing ships which were in regular line. Then
the light cruisers and destroyers had to make the turn,
with the secondary armament of Ihe big ships playing
on them, and the hostile craft of the smaller kind battering
them. Hipper's rearguard had already been largely
crippled or sunk, as it had to withstand both our small
craft and our battle-cruisers and battleships. Our light
force, on the other hand, was practically intact and fighting
with amazing skill and intrepidity.
But fine as was the work of our light craft, it was not
important. Their great time was to come later. The
men who rode the thunderstorms of the guns and directed
the tornadoes of shell were dead men— the dead men
of the Indefatigable and the Queen Mary. In death they
served their country even better than they could have
done in life. For their destruction blinded not only Hipper
but Scheer. The German Commander-in-Chief was so
elated by the unexpected victory of this cruiser squadron
that he thought Sir David Beatty was thoroughly beaten
Plan indicating the area of the Jutland Battle and the
approximate positions of the conflicting navies.
Lni seeking to escape. As a matter of fact, our battle-
cruisers and fast battleships had been flung out by Sir
John Jellicoe in person as gambit pawns to overmatch,
by a larger sacrifice, the five German battle-cruisers which
Scheer had offered as a gambit. Had none of our ships
been sunk, Scheer might have seen that he was being over-
played. But when he learnt by wireless that we had lost
two capital ships in the preliminary action, where we had
possessed more than double the strength of his advance
force, he ceased to study the larger aspects of the terrible
game and steamed up in a bull-like rush to complete the
annihilation of Beatty.
There then began from Windy Corner to a northern
point near the Skager-Rak one of the most glorious fights
in our glorious naval history. For an hour and a quarter
four British battle-cruisers and four British battleships
fought against four German battle-cruisers and sixteen
German battleships. When we were in superior strength,
we lost ; when we were overwhelmingly outnumbered,
we won. For the marvellous thing was that we lost no
capital ship during this extreme ordeal. The enemy, on
the other hand, suffered heavily. He lost another battle-
cruiser, and of all the four leading ships with which he
began the northerly race towards the Grand Fleet of
Britain, only one remained in battle order at the end of
the course. It was in this great luring race that the superior
speed of our battle-cruisers and fast battleships told against
the enemy. Sir David Beatty's flagship always remained
well ahead of the German battle-cruisers, which were caught
by a double fire from both our squadrons. For the German
battleships could not keep up with our fast battleships.
10 that the Barham, Malaya, Valiant, and Warspite were
fairly free to hammer at what remained of Hipper's force.
At six o'clock Sir John J-ellicoe began to play for the
great decision. Beatty had then dragged the German
High Sea Fleet almost in sight of our Grand Fleet. Jellicoe
had a second battleship squadron, consisting of the Invin-
cible, Inflexible, and the Indomitable, under Rear-Admiral
Horace Hood. The British Commander-in-Chief also had
an older, feebler, and slower cruiser squadron, consisting
of the Defence, Warrior, Black Prince, and Duke of
Edinburgh, under Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot.
His immediate object was to keep the German Fleet
violently engaged until our battleship squadrons were
south enough to cut Scheer off from his base.
Pluckiest Scene in the Battle
Admiral Hood was ordered to take station at the head
of Sir David Beatty's line, and close round eastward and
block the entrance to the Baltic. Beatty had received
a wireless order to the same effect, and as he was main-
taining his overlapping lead of the- German line, he was
able to turn eastward, bringing a flanking fire against
the remnant of Hipper's squadron. But all the kick had
not been knocked out of the German battle-cruisers. As
Hood swung his squadron forward in a magnificent sweep
his flagship, the Invincible, got a shell through one of her
turrets and went up in a roar of smoke and flame, as the
Queen Mary and the Indefatigable had done. Then occurred
the pluckiest scene in the battle. Some of the blown up,
half drowned, and truly invincible sailors rose from
the very pit of death, and from the sea cheered our ships
as they proceeded to swing round and envelope the
enemy's line.
Scheer then still tried to break away, apparently towards
the Skager-Rak. He sent out a large force of light cruisers
and destroyers, which threw up smoke clouds, increasing
the general blurring effect of the mist. Sir John Jellicoe
answered this move by launching against the head of
the enemy's bending line the armoured cruiser squadron
under Sir Robert Arbuthnot. The four cruisers, with their
9'2 in. guns and their 6 in. armour belt, smashed through
the German light cruisers and destroyers, sinking several
craft of both kinds in the fierce, short action. But as
they were achieving this local victory the mist cleared,
and five of the most powerful German Dreadnoughts closed
down on them to a range of 5,000 yards. The Defence
was blown up in three minutes, and the Black Prince flamed
and exploded soon afterwards. The Warrior was crippled,
but her crew was saved from destruction by the Warspite,
that steamed up and lived through the concentrated fire
of the five German battleships, and with her eight 15 in.
guns shattered at least one of them and completely beat
the others off.
By this time the High Sea Fleet was nearly enveloped.
Beatty was steaming down the Danish coast, Jellicoe's
squadron commanders were leading their ships forward
at the highest possible speed south of Fisher Bank, while
the fast battleship squadron under Evan-Thomas used
its incomparable pace to separate from Beatty's command
and swing far out to sea and form the swift westward wing
of the victorious Grand Fleet. By seven o'clock in the
evening Admiral von Scheer, who had also extended in a
long line westward, began to feel the full striking power
of the British Navy.
Rout of the German Fleet
The contest then ended and the rout began. Jellicoe's
long arms were almost round the High Sea Fleet, which
lost all order and dodged away through the drifts of fog.
The last shots from our heavy guns were fired from both
wings in the dusk about half-past eight, and then for six
and a half hours the broken and disordered enemy forces
reeled under torpedo attacks made by our destroyers and
light cruisers. \Ve must, however, reserve the incom-
parable story of our deadly destroyer attacks for another
issue. They reduced the German Fleet from the second
to at least the third position in naval strength. The
material damage, including minimum losses of four capital
ships, four light cruisers, ten destroyers, and several sub-
marines, may have been only attrition. But "the German
Fleet generally was so damaged that it was temporarily
put out of action.
2049
Deeds Not Words for God and King and Country
In a great naval battle the number of killed inevitably exceeds greatly that of the wounded, since there is small chance to pick up
floating survivors from ships sent to the bottom. These two photographs show some of the survivors from the Jutland battle.
Charles Hope, one of the six survivors from the Shark, the destroyer that was one
of the first in the fight, and sank while firing. Right: " Lyddite," the Shark's cat.
How the Navy begins the day. Morning prayers aboard H.M.8. Shark. The exploit of this ship will become one of the most
cherished tradition! of the British Navy. This photo gives intensity to the meaning of the motto " ForQodand King and Country."
DM
55
2050
2051
German Ships Rehearsing for Jutland Battle
Clearing the decks for action. Another enemy photograph of the German Navy at work. Proportionately, the losses
sustained by the German Fleet, May 31st, 1916, were overwhelmingly greater than those suffered by the British. Th«
great German " victory " reduced the Kaiser's Fleet to comparative impotence.
2052
" ai
+* 1-
2053
New Efforts for Britain's Great Senior Service
Official photograph, Issued on behalf of the Press Bureau, showing a floating dry dock In which ships of enormous tonnage can
be lifted clean out of the water in order to be submitted to thorough external examination and repair.
Among Ihe countless objects of world interest shown to the journalists who visited one of our great naval shipbuilding yards was
this huge destroyer on the stocks and rapidly nearlng completion. (Official photograph issued on behalf of the Press Bureau.)
2054
BATTLE PICTURES OF THE GREAT WAR
The Jutland Battle by Night
By EDWARD WRIGHT
EVER since Admiral Togo's torpedo-boats destroyed,
by a series of terrific night attacks, the Russian
Baltic fleet oft Tsu Island in 1905, the youthful
commanders of torpedo craft in all the leading navies
of the world have looked forward to the wild work they
might do in sublime dashes at night in the searchlight-
riven darkness. Grand-Admiral von Tirpitz had been
in his time a torpedo specialist, and it was on torpedo
work he chiefly based his hope of breaking our command
of the sea. He admired the gunners on his battleships,
but he loved the torpedo men on his smaller craft ; and
the commanders of German destroyers were most carefully
trained to make the decisive " hussar stroke " by which
he intended to shatter the strength of our battle fleet.
But when the supreme test came, with the deepening
of twilight and the thickening of mist, on May 3ist, 1916,
in the North Sea, the German destroyers' commanders
and men were not equal to their task. They were met
and mastered by scores of British lieutenant-commanders
and lieutenants, with hundreds of Britons under them
roused to the highest pitch of heroism. There had been
by daylight some remarkable trials of strength between the
opposing light craft. At a quarter past four in the afternoon
Rear-Admiral Hipper attempted the first great torpedo
stroke in the war, and flung fifteen German destroyers
and a German light cruiser against Sir David Beatty's
diminished battle-cruiser fleet. But as the German craft
swept up to attack, they were met by twelve British
destroyers. The advantage of numbers was with the enemy,
and also the advantage of gun power, as he had a light
cruiser. But in a short, fierce engagement at close quarters
the sixteen German boats were outmanoeuvred, outfought,
and sent scurrying back to the shelter of their battle-cruisers,
after losing two of their number.
In a Tempest of Thunderbolts
Our victorious flotilla then made the most amazing
attack in modern warfare — something that eclipsed all
the Japanese had done. In broad sunlight, when the
sea was still clear of mist, the British destroyers charged
the German battle-cruisers. Small, frail boats like river
steamers many of them were, with no armour whatever
to protect them from the hundreds of 6 in., n in., and
12 in. shells that rained upon them. All they had to
rely on in the way of defence was their agility, enabling
.them to zigzag through the waves like water fleas. The
'German admiral turned southward and closed round
our glorious destroyers, and one of his big guns smashed
and stopped the leading boat, the Nomad. Yet the other
foremost boats, the Nestor and Nicator, continued their
heroic course, and, at a range of only 3,000 yards, drove
through the tempest of thunderbolts and torpedoed one
of the big German ships. The Nestor was then struck
and stopped, but the Nicator escaped, as also did the
Nerissa, which was reported by Sir David Beatty to have got
a torpedo home on another German battle-cruiser.
The Sparrow Kills the Eagle
For years the Germans had talked about their naval
"hussar strokes," and our naval officers had smiled and said
nothing. One of the men who had smiled was Lieutenant-
Commander John C. Tovey, who may now surely be ac-
claimed the prince of torpedo officers. At six o'clock
in the afternoon, when he was in the destroyer Onslow
guarding the Lion, he sighted an enemy light cruiser three
and a half miles away, trying to get a torpedo into Beatty's
flagship. Like a furious sparrow flying against a hawk,
the Onslow steamed towards the bigger enemy vessel
to within little more than a mile's range, pouring in shot as
fast as her guns would work. By quick and deadly marks-
manship she overpowered her heavy opponent. But as
she was preparing to finish her off with a torpedo, the
huge German battle-cruiser, the Derfflinger, loomed out
of the mist. Thereupon the Onslow turned her torpedo-
tubes towards the capital ship, but after firing once, she
was struck amidships by a heavy shell that damaged
her boilers. Lieutenant-Commander Tovey thought all
his torpedoes were gone, and began to crawl back. But
finding that he had still three full tubes, he first sank the
German light cruiser, and then, with his last pound of
steam, dragged his frail craft towards the Derfflinger,
and while the great ship put all her guns on him he gave
her his last two torpedoes. It was like a sparrow, with
both wings broken and a shot through its lungs, making
a despairing death attack upon an eagle. Yet the attack
succeeded. For either the Derfflinger or a ship of her
class was sunk.
A Doubtful German Success
By this time it was evening conditions at sea. The
haze had thickened so that in regions where there was no
thick fog the range of vision was less than four miles.
Amid the fog drifts vessels of all sizes were at times getting
within 3,000 yards of each other before sighting. All this
favoured torpedo work, and the admirals on both sides
sent out light cruisers and destroyers in charge and counter-
charge. First the Falmouth, under Captain John D.
Edwards, and the Yarmouth, under Captain Thomas
D. Pratt, while looking for smaller enemies, closed on a
leading enemy battle-cruiser and hit her with at least one
torpedo. Then the destroyer flotillas of the main German
battle fleet sent up great clouds of smoke to screen their
capital ships, and darted out in an attack upon Beatty's
battle-cruisers and Sir John Jellicoe's battleships.
The Tiger appears to have had a warm time of it, as a
swarm of the stinging German midgets closed upon her.
But bringing her secondary armament of 6 in. guns to
bear upon the swiftly wriggling attackers, the pride of the
cat squadron sank several of them and drove the others
away. The only success the Germans won in torpedo
work was to get, just before seven o'clock, a hit on one of our
finest battleships, the Marlborough. This seems to have
been the work of an enemy submarine rather than that of a
hostile destroyer, and despite the damage done to the Marl-
borough, she righted herself and, eighteen minutes after
being holed, smashed up a German Dreadnought by fourteen
rapid broadsides delivered with her ten 15-5 in. guns.
Tactics of "Hell-Fire Jack"
By this time our leading battleship squadrons were
hammering the enemy's best ships at the very close range
of about five miles, while our light cruisers were mainly
engaged in smashing up by gun fire the enemy destroyer
flotillas. Sir John Jellicoe had long been known to his
sailors as " Hell-fire Jack." His principle of attack was
opposite to that of the opposing admirals. He believed in
gun fire — concentrated, high-speed, infernal, smashing
gun fire — and it was through his skill in getting a ring of
flame round rival British commanders in battle manoeuvres
that he had obtained his nickname. While daylight lasted
he smashed up two German destroyer charges by gun fire.
Then, when night fell at half-past eight, and all the German
High Sea Fleet was scattered westward and cut off from its
base, the British commander considered his guns had done
their main work, and that the proper time had come for
torpedo tactics. This, indeed, had been Admiral Togo's
method, and the Japanese commander was trained by us.
As instruments for his first attack Sir John selected, not
his destroyers, but his light cruisers. The Fourth Light
Cruiser Squadron, led by Commodore Charles Le Mesurier
in the Calliope, swept out against a squadron of Kaiser
battleships. The Calliope and her sisters first smashed
through the guard of destroyers which the German admiral
had flung out to protect his big ships, and after sinking
and routing these with a storm of 6 in. shells, the British
light cruisers closed upon some Dreadnoughts of the Kaiser
class and torpedoed one of them. Continued M paje 2055
2055
THE JUTLAND VICTORY BY NIGHT
Such is the plain statement in Sir John Jellicoe's despatch.
But to visualise that statement we have to picture first a
line of light cruisers, and behind them a flotilla of British
destroyers, whose work was to occupy the German destroyers.
Each vessel was first a racing smudge of fire in the darkness,
as her furnaces worked up the steam power to the highest
point. Then, below the lurid radiance from the funnels,
came abruptly the thunder flame of exploding cordite from
the guns, as soon as the searchlights could catch and hold
some enemy mosquito craft. Immediately the guns rang
out and alarmed the German battleships, they also turned
their searchlights towards the scene of action. Then amid
this electric blaze of battle the British light cruisers charged
into the great sweeping swoids of fire westwards, and under
a tempest of 12 in. and 6 in. shells, neared their great
targets and, while firing their own small guns, loosened their
far deadlier torpedoes. The Calliope was hit and had
several men killed, but no other ship of her squadron was
damaged. This clearly showed that the crack German
gunners had lost their nerve.
British Ships' Night Vigil
After our light cruisers blew up a ship of the Kaiser class,
at forty minutes past eight, no more was seen of the German
destroyers. All might our heavy ships remained, stretched
across the North Sea within eighty miles of Heligoland,
without being subjected to a single attack by the men
Tirpitz had trained for many years for this purpose. The
work the German destroyers had been built to do was
performed by our Fourth Flotilla, under Captain J. Wintour,
our Eleventh Flotilla, under Commodore Hawksley, and our
Twelfth Flotilla, under Captain Anselan Stirling. The
Eleventh Flotilla had already made a fine charge just at
nightfall, and in a later attack
Commodore Hawksley, leading his
flotilla in the fine new destroyer
Castor, sank an enemy destroyer
at point-blank range.
Then Captain Wintour, controlling
the Fourth Flotilla from the Tipperary,
with the Spitfire, Ardent, Ambuscade,
Garland, and other boats steaming
behind him at thirty knots an hour,
broke through a line of German des-
troyers and light cruisers, one of which
was the Elbing, and converged upon
some German battleships. The enemy
illuminated the water with his search-
lights. Every hostile gun was trained
upon the zigzagging, manoeuvring
British destroyers. The Tipperary
was struck by a great shell that
appeared to fire her ammunition.
Wrapped in a sheet of flame she
vanished, Captain Wintour going
down with his ship. But the flotilla,
barking with its little guns at the
German leviathans, and increasing its
attacking pace to the utmost, closed
upon the enemy battleships. Either the Ardent,
Ambuscade, or Garland got a torpedo amidships
a German Dreadnought that lurched and heeled
over. Then the Ardent was smashed and des-
troyed by a big shell, sinking with her Lieutenant-
Commander Arthur Marsden. But again in the wild
melee another enemy battleship was struck, for
Lieutenant-Commander Trelawny, in the Spitfire,
got a torpedo home. There were some of our
cruisers behind the flotilla, and they delivered'
tremendous short-range broadsides, while steaming
past the German capital ships at terrific speed.
In the charge by the Twelfth Flotilla, under
Captain Anselan Stirling, the Onslaught, com-
manded by Lieutenant - Commander Arthur
Onslow, nobly distinguished herself. A powerful
German squadron, consisting of six battleships of
the latest type, with light cruisers and a destroyer
guard, was completely taken by surprise. All our
boats in this supreme Balaclava of the seas were
new and uncommonly fast. They broke through
the enemy's guard and got among his biggest ships
before the admiral of the German squadron knew what
was happening. Our men fired some scores of torpedoes,
and explosions were seen on the second and third
battleships in the German line. The Onslaught blew
up her victim, and manoeuvred to escape and reload
her tubes. But as the officers were mounting the bridge to
congratulate Lieutenant-Commander Onslow on his success,
some German light cruisers in the rear of the line opened
fire on the victorious destroyer. A shell fell on the bridge,
disabling nearly all the officers, and Midshipman Reginald G.
Arnot, of the Royal Naval Reserve, assisted Sub-Lieutenant
Kemmis to bring the ship successfully out of action and
into port. Twenty minutes after the Onslaught attack,
another charge was made by the Maenad, under Commander
John P. Champion. She also got through the enemy's
guard, and put a torpedo into the fourth ship in the German
battle line. In this single British destroyer charge, therefore,
the enemy had one battleship blown up, and two others
holed and crippled.
The Enemy's Minimum Losses
Then the Thirteenth Flotilla, with Captain James Farie
leading in the Champion, made a series of attacks on that
part of the German battle fleet which was near the Lion.
First the Turbulent and the Petard tried to stop an enemy
battleship from reaching its base. The Turbulent, however,
was struck and disabled. But some hours afterwards
another boat of the flotilla, the Moresby, sighted four
battleships of the Deutschland class trying to steal into
Wilhelmshafen, and got a torpedo home on one of them.
During the night the Fearless sighted a battleship of the
Kaiser class steaming fast and entirely alone. She was
not able to engage her, but the enemy cralt was attacked
by destroyers farther astern. A heavy explosion was
observed astern not long after.
All these successes are mentioned in
Sir John Jellicoe's despatch, which I
had not seen when I wrote my first
account of the Jutland Battle. My
estimate of the minimum German
losses must now be revised. The
enemy lost four battleships and t\\o
battle-cruisers. One of the latter, the
Seydlitz, was raised from shallow
water, but it is doubtful ii she is
worth repairing. These, however,
are the extreme minimum losses of
the enemy, and while allowing that
our light cruiser and destroyer
charges tended to cripple rather than
to annihilate the German heavy
ships, we may yet fairly suppose the
enemy lost more battle units than
are given in our official list.
Sailors of H.M.S. Canterbury, which was engaged in the Jutland Battle,
carrying their flag into Canterbury Cathedral. The first photograph
shows the flag hanging in the cathedral by the ensign o» H.M.S. Kent.
2056
British Battle-Cruiser Fleet Engaging the
[ATE in the afternoon of May 31 st, 1916, Admiral Bcatty in
' command of some twelve British battle-cruisers, engaged 'the
German battle-cruiser squadron off the coast of Jutland A
circuitous course was navigated in order to attack the German
ships in the rear and cut them off from their own base. Within
an hour the whole of the German High Seas Fleet came up, and
the British admiral, with glorious courage and daring seamanship,
kept the enemy in action, realising that Admiral Jellicoe would
soon arrive with strong reinforcements. A terrible battle ensued,
and the Germans, with superior weight and range of metal,
2057
Might of the German Navy off Jutland
concentrated a disastrous fire on the Queen Mary, which broke
asunder and sank. The Indefatigable and Invincible were also
shattered in rapid succession. Nevertheless, the Kaiser's ships
suffered a fearful battering from Beatty's gallant fleet, and when
Admiral Jellicoe hove in sight the German Admiral von Schcer beat
a hasty retreat to avoid complete annihilation. From collected
reports, the German High Seas Fleet lost in the two engagements more
than eighteen vessels, among which were the most powerful and
recent types, as against fourteen British ships all told. The above
striking picture shows the British battle-cruisers during the fight:
2058
2059
The craft that works In the dark. Ingenious method of disguising the appearance of German submarines. It will be seen that
the hull is painted in such a way as to be scarcely distinguishable from the waves.
Blunders of German Naval Policy
How the Allies Gained on Land
Through the Enemy's Inaction at Sea
By Commander CARLYON BELLAIRS, R.N., M.P.
IF an American were asked to write this article, I think
he would do so very tersely by saying that the Germans
attempted to bite off more than they could chew, and
that had Bismarck been in the saddle this would never
have happened. Prussia had made all her conquests
without naval power. Her statesmen were the keenest
students of history in the world. Three facts stand out
in history :
1. The economic difficulty of combining vast land armies
with the expenditure required for attaining sea supremacy.
2. The jealousy of Great Britain for any Power that
attempts to rival her on the sea.
3. That Great Britain's strength resides not merely in
the power of her Navy but in the military rivalries of the
Continent, and when the latter were absent — in the War of
American Independence — Great Britain was virtually
defeated.
About 1896 a pushing officer of the name of Von Tirpitz,
from the China station, obtained the ear of the Kaiser.
He played upon his desire for aggrandisement, sea-power,
and empire. He was chosen to effect these things. This
could not be done secretly, for the German people had to be
educated so as to grant the Navy Bills, and the foreign
policy had to create situations in which the " tyranny "
of British sea-power could be demonstrated. The educa-
tional crusade was of the most blatant character, especially
in regard to the official Navy League of over one million
members. At every point it flew in the face of a famous
caution of a famous statesman, the great Chatham, who
enjoined an ambassador in words somewhat as follows :
" Above all other things, not to mention the British Navy,
and so avoid giving cause for every hireling pen in Europe
to inveigh against the maritime pretensions of this country."
The country which a few years before had coaxed Heligo-
land out of us, entered upon a course of policy destined to
drive us into the arms of Germany's chief military rivals.
Non-success Equivalent to Disaster
Such a policy could only be justified by success — that is,
by the creation of a navy capable of defeating us on
that sea which has never tolerated more than one
master. On the land an inferior army can hold up a
superior one, and the nation can pursue its manifold
activities behind the security thus afforded. Such a
situation is unthinkable on the sea. Consequently, a naval
policy which spends several hundreds of millions and misses
success is in itself a disastrous failure for a great military
nation. This is now well understood by the Germans
themselves, for above all other things they worship the
military doctrine of concentration. If they had anticipated
the possibility of failure on the sea, they would certainly
have concentrated the expenditure on increasing the
great military machine on shore. It is equally true that
until the military rivalries of the Continent had been put
down, the drain of expensive colonies abroad was also an
extravagance, for transmarine colonies fall like ripe fruit
into the hands of the Power with the command of the sea.
In other words, Germany was bound to lose her
colonies and the troops and stores in them. It does not
follow from this that all naval expenditure as against
Britain was folly. In addition, Germany necessarily
required such a fleet as could secure her the control of the
Baltic against Russia. The point for Germany to have
fixed her mind on was that until she had eliminated the
drain of military rivalries on the Continent she could not
hope to rival Great Britain on the sea. On the other hand,
the latter's life-blood is her shipping, and without any of
the elements of ostentatious rivalry a war against British
shipping could have been prepared which, in the circum-
stances actually existing in 1914, would have left us in a
very crippled position. The overweening ambitions of
Von Tirpitz and the Kaiser were their own undoing, and
the British Empire was saved in spite of its rulers.
Mutual Misunderstanding
The second great mistake of Germany was in the military
mind which fails to understand democratic diplomacy. It
failed to understand the shock the invasion of Belgium
would be to this country. It interpreted Sir Edward
Grey's assurance that the First Fleet was at Portland
instead of being at its war base, and that we had no in-
tention of calling out the reserves, as a positive proof that
we would not go to war, and consequently Von Tirpitz
failed to prepare for the eventuality which took Germany
by surprise. Both Russia and France realised and
strenuously represented that only unmistakable naval
and military preparations on Great Britain's part would
prevent war. It was a genuine misunderstanding on both
sides. We did not understand military diplomacy, and
Germany did not show any comprehension of democratic
diplomacy. In any case, Germany's policy being what it
was, the war could only have been postponed. The capital
result for us is that Germany had not more than ten war
vessels and a number of mercantile auxiliaries abroad.
She failed to strike, except with mine-fields, before the
[Continued on page 206O
2060
declaration of war, and so missed the use of her favourite
stroke, " the bolt from the blue." England, " which is
famous for negligence," as Marlborough said, was given
time to spread her net, and Germany has, so far as our
Foreign Office will allow, been enmeshed in it ever since.
There was, however, one direction in which similar
tactics would have been equally effective whether Great
Britain was in the war or not. The war was at Germany's
chosen moment, and she would certainly get possession
of the French industrial districts where lay the bulk of the
coal and iron supplies. It would be essential in case of a
war with France and Russia to invade the trade routes to pre-
vent replacement of supplies while the whole French Navy
was busy safeguarding the passage of French troops in the
Mediterranean. Against Great Britain the central facts were :
1. Her absolute dependence on her shipping and sea-
borne supplies.
2. The 1904 scrapping of our cruisers wifhout replacement.
3. The 1904-14 policy of cutting down our cruiser strength
abroad.
4. The mistaken 1904-9 Admiralty view that small
cruisers were of little use, and, consequently, armed merchant
vessels still more useless.
Had these facts been understood by the German Admiralty,
they would have scattered every cruiser and mercantile
auxiliary to the distant trade routes during the period of
crisis from July 23rd to August 4th, 1914. As a matter of
fact, not a single armed vessel moved outwards. The
Emden's successes were really like the bitter fruit of the
tree of knowledge, for they taught only of the lost oppor-
tunities which, owing to British negligence, were offered in
profusion.
The German military mind is incapable of any graduations
of method suited to adverse circumstances. With a
magnificent military machine on shore, it has made frightful-
ness an undoubtedly successful policy. It tries the same
methods at sea and expects similar results. The hope is
futile, for the same reason that all German frightfulness on
What the exponents of " f rightfulness " look like. Officer and
members of the crew of a u boat.
Incidental work in the Grand Fleet. British sailors greasing
and coiling up a wire hawser.
shore will recoil on her the moment the military machine
begins to fail. Had Germany been a model of correct
conduct in her sea campaign, every neutral would have
been nagging furiously at Great Britain and endeavouring
to defeat her blockade. Once Germany provokes the
United States, under the submarine policy, definitely
against her, Great Britain will have little difficulty in
dealing with the illicit trade by Holland, Denmark, and
even Sweden.
An idea seems to be held in many quarters that the
Germans seldom make mistakes in regard to mechanism,
and this idea has been fostered by Mr. Lloyd George in
debates on munitions. As a matter of fact, the prepared-
ness of the Germans in military matters was simply achieved
by the profusion of expenditure on all weapons. If they
had to choose, as every nation must when not preparing for
its own selected moment, they would have been forced to
concentrate on what they held to be most vital. This is
exactly what they had to do in naval matters. Take the
destroyer, one of the most common of naval craft. Great
Britain pinned her faith to the gun, Germany to the torpedo.
Indeed, in the destroyer, Great Britain was more nearly
right on every point so far as design was concerned. In
every one of the classes of ships we adopted the correct
principle of the heavier armament. Except for the naval
mine and the Zeppelin, I do not know of a single case
where Germany was right in the adoption of the weapon
at the same time as we were wrong. Our mines were of
a useless design because we made the limit one of cost ; and
we did not build any Zeppelins.
Lack of a Great Directing Intelligence
The comparative failure of Germany arose from the
simple fact that she had to compromise in regard to naval
expenditure so as to get what she thought would give the
best results out of a limited expenditure ; but even so, we
should always remember that these preparations were all
directed to reach fruition at Germany's chosen moment.
She was again right in her large reserve of guns and in the
provision of armaments for merchant vessels, and we were
wrong to neglect those things, but on a broad survey it is
impossible to find evidence of any great brain directing
affairs, and the only conclusion one can come to is that
Von Tirpitz has been simply a dead-weight to German
policy ; that the German Navy's correct function was to
help to win domination in Europe, leaving the overthrow
of British naval supremacy to a future date, when the
industrial resources of Europe or a greatly enlarged Germany
could be thrown into the scale. It would have been far
wiser to appoint a military leader like Von der Goltz
rather than Von Tirpitz to be head of the German
Navy. He would have understood how to subordinate its
actions to the object in view, and a statesman like Bismarck,
who kept the military element in subjection to the political
purposes to be achieved, might even have lulled the sus-
picions of Great Britain until the time came for dealing
with the sea-girt isle which withstood Charlemagne, Philip
of Spain, Louis XIV. and Napoleon.
2061
Spare Time War Work on a Battleship at Sea
During intervals of the North Sea vigil officers and men of the
Grand Fleet employed their leisure moments in war work. In the
dog-watch munitions were turned out with great enthusiasm.
This Illustration shows the interior off a ward-room where
officers are busy making rope grummets to protect driving
bands of shells. The Commander is seen on the left unwinding
a piece of rope, while behind him at the table another officer
is testing the length o£ the grummet by a wooden gauge.
2062
2063
Peril on the Waves from Shell and Tempest
British merchant ship under heavy enemy fire somewhere in the Mediterranean zone of operations. A shell has struck the water
some yards away from its mark, sending a fountain of spray high into the air.
Schooner in distress, having signalled to the T.B.D. Coquette, the latter, whose taffrail is seen at the bottom of the photograph,
fs approaching the wreck to collect survivors. The Coquette subsequently fouled a mine off the East Coast and foundered
March, 1916. with a loss of one officer and twenty-one men.
2064
A Three-Act Drama of the Air near La Panne
German biplane which intended to bomb La Panne shot down into the sea by a
Belgian warplane Above : Debris of the German machine hauled out of the sea.
Pilot and observer of the victorious Belgian machine being presented by their colonel with a statuette symbolical of victory.
A troop of Belgian soldiers was drawn up before the triumphant aeroplane to witness the ceremony.
aunched from a powerful crane. German sailors preparing a hydroplane
for a reconnaissance over the North Sea.
Anti-aircraft gun emplaced on an ammunition
barge moving up the Tigris.
To fac* pft'jt 206S
2065
The Last of Zeppelin 120 Off Stavanger
Zeppelin L20, which was wrecked oft the Norwegian coast
May 3rd, 1916. It will be eeen that the gasbag is broken In half.
Left: Car of the shattered machine under Norwegian guard.
Three of the crew/ saved from the wreck being escorted ashore by
Norwegian officers. L20 was presumably hit by British gunfire.
Like so much storm-tossed bunting. Debris of the L20
showing framework and one of the propellers.
Last moments of the L20, which came to grief off the Norwegian coast on its way back from a raid on the British coast on
May 2nd, 1916. The baby-killer was probably struck by shells, went adrift in a storm, and finally fell into the sea. She rapidly
broke up, and what remained of the envelope and framework was completely destroyed by the Norwegian authorities.
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2067
Thrilling Moments in the Flying Man's Car
Two British airmen who, on being attacked from an enemy
aeroplane while overhauling their machine, detached their
machine— gun and drove the German off.
Heroic Italian aviator, Captain Salomone, who, though
attacked by Fokkers, piloted his machine safely back. His
two comrades were killed.
German aerial " liveliness " over a British position at Salonika treated as a joke by our soldiers, although a bomb can be seen
bursting on the road a few yards away. (Official photograph issued by the Press Bureau.) Inset: French aviator repairing his
machine. He shot down a Fokker, but his aeroplane was hit twice before the enemy fell to earth.
2008
How the Huns were Blinded in the Great Advance
Without the great work of the R.F.C. the plans of the British
Staff could not possibly have been carried out with any measure
of success. Prior to the advance of July, 1916, our aviators
were up and at the enemy's sausage-like observation balloons,
blindfolding their inquisitive eyes to the movements of the
British armies. The enemy had a whole fleet of these craft
prying through the tumultcous atmosphere, but none were able
to transmit any practical information, and several were sent
flaming to earth through the well-placed rockets discharged
on them by our airmen.
2069
Letting Him Down ; French Pilot's Expedient
2070
2071
Sentinels of the Skies : Naval Airships on Patrol
British naval airship returning to the flying ground after a long reconnaissance flight and about to settle gracefully on the
earth. A rope thrown down from the car is being held by a number of British soldiers.
Remarkably fine impression of a British naval airship, silhouetted against the sunset, as she glided across the night sky,
patrolling the broad highway of the air. (Official photographs issued by the Press Bureau.)
Perennial Duel Between 'Archies' & Skycraft
Qeiting over a German aero-
plane. Remarkable impression
taken from the observer's seat
on a two-decker machine.
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French 90 mm. gun in action against a German high-flyer. There is nothing so gratifying as to bring down an enemy hawk or a
Zeppelin monster. Can it be wondered that the gunner who destroyed Zeppelin L77, February 21st, 1916, actually wept for joy after his
lucky shot ? Inset : Twin-engined Caudron, type of machine which did useful reconnaissance work. (Photo: Kirkett.)
LIEUTENANT A. DE BATHE BRANDON1 ATTACKING ONE OF THE ZEPPELIN RAIDERS ON MARCH 3157, 1916.
To face page 207X
Bird of Evil Omen Flies Over the British Front
trench near Ypres was found
2074
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2075
The happy warrior goes to war
In truth and honour clad,
And all his body suffers for
Shall make his bright soul glad.
No ivord of praise shall gild his days
From valiant friend or joe,
A li<;ht immortal sheds its rays
Wherever he may go.
Those eyes that brimm'd with homely love
A re fierce with conflict now ;
A star has dropp'd from Heav'n above,
It shines upon his brow.
It shines upon his fair young face.
Who does not fear to fall ;
O, happy warrior, whom, by grace,
The gods of battle call !
— FRED G. BOWLES.
/"*
Golden
Deeds of
Heroism
Fwo British soldiers placing a machine-gun in position to help their gallant comrades repel a furious German onslaught.
2076
Decorated for Valour: More of Britain's Bravest
Lieut. J. H. HOGSHAW, Northumber-
land Fus. Awarded Military Cross for
conspicuous gallantry and ability
in handling his machine-guns.
Capt. H. T. COMBS, Oxford and Bucks
LJ. Awarded Military Cross for gallantry
when in command of a patrol which
was heavily attacked.
Lieut. S. M. de HERTZ WHATTON, I5ergt.-Maj. A. HASSALL, South
R.F.A. Awarded Military Cross for African Contingent. Awarded D.C.M.
his conspicuous ability and devotion for bravery in bringing up ammuni-
to duty as adjutant. tion in East Africa.
Coy.-Sergt.-Maj. G. BEESLEY, R.
Berks Begt. Awarded D.C.M. after
being recommended three times for
his bravery in action.
Police-Constable EDWARDS.
Awarded the D.C.M. for his bravery in
action at the front. The presentation
was made by Sir Edward Henry.
Lieut. A. L. MILLER, the Black
Watch. Awarded the Military Cross for
rescuing two miners from an exposed
position in front of our trenches.
Corpl. A. S. WIDLAKE. The Welsh
Regt. (T.F.). Awarded D.C.M. for
conspicuous gallantry when in charge
of a bombing party in action.
Capt. H. V. CHAMPION DE CRES- Sec.-Lieut. W. J. C. KENNEDY-
PIGNY, Suffolk Regt. and R.F.C. COCHRAN - PATRICK, Rifle Brigade
Awarded Military Cross for attacking and R.F.C. Awarded Military Cross
five German aeroplanes single-handed, for forcing down a German aeroplane.
Sec.-Lieut. C. A. RIDLEY, Royal
Fus. and R.F.C. Awarded Military
Cross for conspicuous gallantry during
Zeppelin raids.
Sergt. H. WAREHAM, Dragoon Gds..
with Duke of Westminster's armoured
cars in Egypt. Awarded D.C.M. and
bar for bravery in France and Egypt.
2077
Mouth-Organ Melody Under Heavy Fire
^
A remarkably fine deed, which recalls the courage and These two men, who were awarded the D.C.M. for their most
presence of mind of Piper Laidlaw at Loos, was performed by conspicuous gallantry, sprang on to the parapet under heavy
Company-Quartermaster-Sergeant E. S Beech and Lance- fire and played tunes on mouth-organs, thereby heartening
Corporal Vickery, of the 7th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders. their comrades to hold the position against tremendous odda.
2078
Decorated f or Valour : Moreof Britain's Brave Sons
Sec. -Lieut. W. A. LYTLE. Sherwood
Foresters (T.F.). Awarded Military Cross.
He organised a bomb attack, and led his
grenadiers with total disregard ol danger.
Sec.-Lieut. T. TANNATT PRYCE, Glon-
cesters (T.F.), awarded Military Cross. He
entered German trenches, cleared them,
and bombed large parties of the enemy.
The Rev. E. NOEL HELLISH, V.C. During heavy fighting he repeatedly
went backwards and forwards. un der continuous shell and machine-gun lire,
between our trenches and those captured from the enemy in order to tend
and rescue ten wounded man. Three were killed while he was tending them.
Qrtmstr.-Sergt. H. WRIGHT, Sherwood
Foresters, gained D.C.M. and French
Medaille Militaire for capturing thirty
Germans almost single-handed.
L.-Cpl. E. COLLARD, Notts, and Derby
Regt., awarded D.C.M. for carrying a
message to the firing-line, and, though
wounded, returning with the reply.
Petty -Officer W. BRIGHT and (right) Ship's Corporal W. C.
HATHERLEY, both awarded D.S.M. While visiting the front-line
trenches, seeing a gun-team knocked out, they manned the gun at once
and kept it in action most successfully.
Pte. C. H. TUCKLEY, S. Staffs Regt.,
awarded D C.M. He crawled to enemy
trenches under heavy fire and obtained
a good report.
L.-Corpl. S. NEAL, S. Staffs Regt.,
awarded D.C.M. He threw bombs during
two nights, although wounded, refusing
to leave until relieved.
Sergt. G. MITCHELL, Royal High-
landers, awarded the D.C.M. He drove
the enemy back 250 yards with bombs,
holding them for three hours.
Chaplain Capt. GREENE (centre), New Zealand Exped. Force, awarded
Military Cross for services in action. He is an adjutant in the Salvation
Army. Right: L.-Corpl. FEAR, awarded D.C.M. for blowing up a Turkish
redoubt. Left : Sapper WATSON, who also gained D.C.M. in Gallipoli.
Sergt. E. W. LESTER, N. Midland Field
Coy., awarded D.C.M. He courageously
left the trenches and rescued several
wounded men.
2079
Giant Anzac Heaves German Over the Parapet
A remarkably daring feat was achieved by an Anzac, Captain
FOBS, during a midnight raid on the German trenches. Coming
across one of the enemy about to seek refuge in his dug-out,
Captain Foss, who is a powerful athlete. 6 ft. 4 in. in height,
caught him by the hips and hurled him bodily over the parapet
towards the British lines, shouting, " There's number one ! " A
determined struggle with fists and bayonets ensued, until the
Anzacs subdued the enemy and brought many back to captivity.
2080
Decorated for Valour: Moreof Britain's Brave Sons
Maj. & Brevet Lt.-Col. G. E. TYRRELL,
D.S.O., R.A., on whom the King of
the Belgians conferred the decoration
"Officier de 1'Ordre de Leopold."
Air-Mechanic T. H. DONALD, R.F.C.,
awarded D.C.M. for his great skill
as a gunner when on patrol in an
aeroplane with Lieut. Insall.
Lieut. E. A. McNAIR, V.C., Royal
Sussex Regt. Though much shaken
by a mine explosion, he at once
organised a party to bold the crater.
Sec.-Lieut. 0. S. TETLEY, East
Surrey Regt., awarded Military Cross
for rescuing wounded and reorganis-
ing defences under heavy fire.
Sergt. J. T. MAGUIRE, Highland Sergt. H. UNDERWOOD, East
Light Infantry, awarded D.C.M. for Yorks Regt., awarded the D.C.M. for
leading a bombing party which held carrying orders under heavy fire ajid
a precarious position for four hours. rescuing wounded.
Sec.-Lieut. J. HUDSON, Connaught
Rangers, awarded clasp to D.C.M.
won in South Africa, mentioned in
despatches, and promoted.
Sec.-Lieut. C. SANDERSON, D.S.O.,
Gordons, led grenadiers, forced enemy
guns to retire, and by throwing bombs
put two German posts out of action
Sergt. H. L ANGLE Y, Field Ambu-
lance, awarded D.C.M. and men-
tioned in despatches for conspicuous
gallantry and ability under fire.
Corpl. J. ELLINGHAM, Rifle Brigade
awarded the D.C.M. for his cool
courage when holding a trench with
three others.
L.-Corpl. F. 3. BARRETT, Royal
West Surrey Regt., awarded the
D.C.M. for his bravery in rescuing
wounded under heavy fire.
Cpl. W. G. MUIR, R.A.M.C., awarded
the D.C.M. for conspicuous gallantry.
He crossed over two hundred yards
under fire to help two wounded men.
Golden Laurels for Gallant Londoners
A particularly gallant exploit of a London regiment com-
posed almost entirely of City men won the admiration of its
brigadier-general. The section of the line they held was sub-
jected to an intense bombardment, fifty thousand shells bursting
over it in fifty minutes, and absolutely shattering their trenches.
D 18
But when the Germans launched an attack, belle ving that no
one could be left capable of resistance, the London men sprang
on to their parapet with bayonets fixed. " Come on, Fritz ! "
they shouted defiantly ; but the disconcerted Germans dared not
come to grips with them, and scuttled back to their own trenches.
2082
Decorated for Valour: More of Britain's Brave Sons
Capt. D. L. AMAN, Royal
Marine Artillery, awarded the
D.S.C. lor teal and cool
courage under are.
Capt. M. McB. BELL-IRVING.
D.S.O., Royal Flying Corps,
decorated lor conspicuous and
consistent gallantry and skill.
Capt. J. H. DEAN, 13th
Cheshire Regt., awarded the
Military Cross lor conspicuous
bravery at Le Touquet salient.
Lieut. F. TRUSCOTT, 8th
Suffolk Cyclists, awarded the
Military Cross lor extreme
bravery in saving lite.
Sec.-Licut. 0. F. HARDING.
1st Cheshire Regt., gained the
Military Cross lor a plucky
bombing attack.
Sec. -Lieut. C. I. GORDON, 1st
Wiltshire Regt., awarded the
Military Cross lor heroically
entering a German trench.
Sergt. R. BALDWIN, 2nd
Worcester Regiment, twice
awarded the D.C.M. lor
gallantry under Ore.
Sergt.-Maj. C. JOHNSON.
Scottish Borderers, received
the D.C.M. lor bravery in
action.
Corpl. A. J. WALSH, Royal
Garrison Artillery, gained the
D.C.M. and the French Mili-
tary Medal lor gallantry.
Pte. G. H. BAVARS. llth
Middlesex Regt., awarded the
D.C.M. tor bravery ill action
at Vermelles.
Corpl. S. A. FITCH, R.A.M.C.,
awarded the D.C.M. lor
heroism with the 30th Field
Ambulance at Suvla Bay.
Fte. C. H. BOOTH, 3rd
Coldstream Guards, awarded
the D.C.M. lor clearing a
house ol German snipers.
(~"APT. D. L. AMAN, Royal Marine Artillery, received the
*-• Distinguished Service Cross for his great ability and fine
example of coolness and courage under fire, while commanding
two sections of anti-aircraft guns in the Ypres salient.
Capt. M. McBean Bell-Irving, Royal Flying Corps, was awarded
the Distinguished Service Order for successfully engaging three
hostile aeroplanes. The first he drove off, the second he sent to
the ground in flames, the third nose-dived, and disappeared. He
was then attacked by three other enemy machines, drove one
off, and was then wounded.
Capt. J. H. Dean, I3th Cheshire Regt., led a fighting patrol
with great coolness and dash, gained a footing on the parapet
of the German trench, and bombed the trench for about forty
yards, while under heavy fire. By his heroism Capt. Dean
won the Military Cross.
Lieut. Francis Truscott, Suffolk Cyclists, an heroic winner of the
Military Cross, is the eldest son of Sir George Truscott, Lord
Mayor of London, 1908-9. Sec.-Lieut. G. P. Harding, 1st
Fte. G. J. HluuiNS, iota
Rifle Brigade, gained the
D.C.M. for gallantry near
Cordonnerie.
oorpi. R. HUNT. 10th Rine
Brigade, awarded the D.C.M.
for bravely cutting German
wires near Cordonnerie.
Sapper E. CASS1DY, Royal
Engineers, won the D.C.M.
lor devotion to duty with the
176th Tunnelling Company.
Cheshire Regt., gained the Military Cross for his bravery when
leading a bombing attack on the German trenches. Sec.-Lieut.
C. I. Gordon, ist Wiltshire Regt., won the Military Cross for his
heroism in penetrating the German lines, with a sergeant, and
then entering their trenches alone. The following night he led
a party of nine through the German wire, and crawled about
fifty yards under their parapet, then jumped into their trench
and shot two Germans.
Sergt. Reuben Baldwin, 2nd Worcester Regt., is one of the
few men who have twice won the D.C.M. Sergt.-Major C.
Johnson, Scottish Borderers, who gained the D.C.M. for bravery
in action, also took part in the Chitral and Tirah campaigns, and
was present at the capturing of the Heights of Dargai.
Corporal R. Hunt and Private G. J. Higgins, roth Rifle Brigade,
won the D.C.M. together for remaining out over two hours (with
Private Bench, also awarded the D.C.M.), and successfully cutting
through the enemy's wire, although a German sentry was in view
all the time.
2083
Brave Munsters Reply to German Insults
Immediately after the news of the Dublin rebellion reached
the Qerman lines, placards appeared in the enemy trenches
opposite the Munstera bearing taunting messages to the effect
that English soldiers were shooting Irish women in Dublin.
The insult so enraged the Munsters that a nocturnal raid on
the placards was organised. The first attempt was discovered
by searchlights, and several brave Irishmen were shot down
by machine-guns. The Munsters, however, were not to be
denied: they made a second dash, scatte red the Germans-
right and left, and brought the placards back in triumph.
2084
Decorated for Valour : Moreof Britain's Brave Sons
Sec.-Lieut. C. D. DANBY, R.E. (I.E.), Pte. W. YOUNG, V.C., 8th E. Lanes.
R.F.C., awarded Military Cross lor Rest., though terribly injured, con-
excellent flying in bad weather ; tinned to rescue a wounded sergeant
taking photographs during operations. under heavy fire.
Sub.-Lieut. A. W. St. C. TISDALL, V.C.,
R.N.V.R., made several trips between
s.s. River Clyde and the shore under
heavy fire to save wounded men.
Sergt. A. F. SAUNDERS, V.C., 9th
Suffolk Regt., although severely
wounded, took command o! machine-
guns and showed conspicuous bravery.
Mai. R. P. MILLS, R. Fusiliers, and
R.F.C., awarded Military Cross for
co-operating with aitillery, and so
helping capture of enemy's position.
Pte. H. KENNY, V.C., 1st L. N. Lanes.
Regt., saved six wounded men lying
in the open under very heavy fire.
being wounded in the neck.
Corpl. W. R. COTTER, V.C., 6th E. Kent Regt. (on right). When his right
leg had been blown off at the knee, and he had been wounded in both arms,
be made his way unaided for fifty yards to a crater, commanded the men
holding it tor two hours, and remained there fourteen hours.
Capt. J. E. TENNANT. Scots Guards
and R.F.C., awarded Military Cross.
He bombed an enemy aerodrome from
only thirty feet, at great risk.
Sec.-Lieut. F. N. HUDSON the Buffs
and R.F.C., awarded Military Cross
tor bravery, and for completing an
aerial reconnaissance while wounded.
Lieut. E. BAKER, Canadian
Engineers, awarded Military Cross
for conspicuous gallantry in action,
which cost him his sight.
Sec.-Lieut. D. WEBB, Leicester
Regt., awarded Military Cross for
remaining on duty for two days,
although injured.
Now the weak impulse and the blind desire
Give way at last to the all-conqitering will.
Love now must pause, and fancy cease, until
The soul has won that freedom born of fire.
Sing, then, no songs upon the sweet-voiced lyre:
But choose some nobler instrument, whose shrill
Nerve-bracing notes my doubting heart shall fill
With a new courage, that will never tire.
Sing me the dead men's glorious deeds again !
Tell how they suffered, died, but would not fail t
Stir me to action ! Let me feel their pain.
Their strength, their mystery : that at the tale
I rise with such clear purpose in my brain
That even Hell's own gates should not prevail.
— H. R. FRESTON.
Records
of
Regiments
in
the War
How Sec. -Lieut. James Reid McGregor, of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, won the Military Cross by working a Maxim
single-handed against the enemy.
2086
2087
IJ THE
LOYAL
NORTH
LANCASHIRES
7
I
Records of the Regiments in the War.— XII.
E bat-
ta lion
will ad-
vance. Quick
march !" On the
morning of Fri-
day, October
23rd, 1914,
Major A. J.
Carter, D.S.O.,
the officer com-
manding, gave
this familiar order to the ist Battalion
of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
Throughout the night the men had been
marching, practically without food or
rest, and after a brief halt they were on
the move again, for there was grim
business ahead.
Near the road running from Bixschoote
to Langemarck the British had dug some
trenches, and during the First Battle of
Ypres the Germans captured them. If
they had been allowed to stay there, Sir
John French would probably have been
forced to give up Ypres. The Loyal
North Lancashires and two other batta-
lions of General Bulfin's Brigade were
ordered up, and to them was given the
task of regaining the lost trenches.
The Lancashire men were sent towards
the village of Pilken, about half-way
between Bixschoote and Langemarck,
and by a series of short rushes they
advanced steadily towards the enemy.
In a little while they were near enough
tor the final charge. A wild rush, and
the trenches were taken.
Major and His Chair
In this little engagement the Lancashires
had two officers killed and four wounded,
while about one hundred and fifty men
were hit. One of the wounded was Major
H. G. Powell, and his conduct on that day
was remarkable for coolness and pluck.
It seems that some time previously the
major had sprained his ankle, so when
the advance began he took a chair out ol
a house near by and hobbled along with it
in one hand and his stick in the other.
At the end of each rush, when the men
plumped down on the ground, he put
down his chair and sat on it, directing his
section all the time. Marvellous to relate,
he got to within two hundred yards of
the German trenches without being hit,
but then he was wounded and was carried
off to the dressing-station.
These Lancashire lads had been fighting
hard for two months. The battalion was
among the first to land in France, and
as part of the ist Division it fought at
Mons and retreated to the Marne. During
the retreat its commanding officer, Lieut. -
Colonel G. C. Knight, was killed.
Fight for a Sugar Factory
At the Battle of the Aisne the North
Lancashires crossed that river under
heavy fire near Bourg, and then pressed
uphill towards Vendresse. On the top of
the hill, parallel to the river, there is a
high road called the Chemin des Dames,
ind near this is the hamlet of Troyon.
In Troyon there is, or was, a sugar factory,
and this had been turned by the Germans
into a strong little fortress. Again our
men moved forward through the wet
" For the lilies of France and our own red
rose
A re twined in a coronal now ;
At war's bloody bridal it glitters and
glows
On Liberty's beautiful brow."
— GERALD MASSEY.
grass, and about mid-day the North
Lancashires, who were leading, got quite
close to it. Then, with a shout, they
rushed into the factory, drove out the
Germans, and it was ours. About this
time the battalion's new colonel, Lieut.-
Colonel W. R. Lloyd, -was returned as
missing, and it was some time before it
was known that he had been killed during
this fighting on the Aisne.
From the Aisne the gallant battalion,
then under Major Carter, went to Ypres,
where it was through October and
November. The story of the fight on
October 23rd has been told already, and
soon after that the North Lancashires
were moved to Klein Zillebeke. There,
on November 4th, they were fiercely
attacked, but they succeeded in driving
back' the enemy. In directing this defence
Major Carter, the leader of the charge at
Pilken, was killed — the third commanding
officer in less than three months.
By a coincidence on that same Novem-
ber day the 2nd Battalion of the
regiment was also fighting desperately
at the other side of the world. In October
a little expeditionary force was sent from
India to German East Africa, and this
contained, in addition to several Indian
regiments, the 2nd Loyal North Lanca-
shires from Bangalore.
Bees as German Allies
The troops reached the port of Tanga,
near where they landed, and on November
4th all was ready for the attack on the
German town. The men moved forward
through the bush, the Lancashire men
being on the right, and although the
Germans had placed all kinds of obstacles
in their way, and had arranged excellent
ways of finding the ranges for their guns,
they managed to get into the town. That,
however, was all. In Tanga itself nearly
every house was a fortress ; and fired on
from every side, the troops were ordered to
return to the boats, which they did. "In
this fight the Lancashires lost about
one hundred and fifty officers and men,
the killed including Major F. 1. Braith-
waite, commanding the battalion. For
bravery on this day the Distinguished
Conduct Medal was given to nine non-
commissioned officers and men.
One cunning dodge, borrowed by the
Germans from the natives, may be
mentioned here. Along the sides of the
road they had hidden hives of bees, which
were stupefied by smoke. As our men
passed, the covers of these hives were
jerked off by wires, and the dazed insects
flew out and stung the advancing soldiers.
It is said that over a hundred stings were
extracted from one of the men of the
North Lancashires.
The battalion remained in British East
Alrica, and on March gth part of it had a
skirmish with the Germans at Mwaika
Hill. In this the British were victorious,
and, for his gallantry in bringing up
ammunition to the firing-line, Private M.
Sullivan received the D.C.M.
During the First Battle of Ypres, which
lasted until the middle of November, the
ist Battalion was continually in the
thick of the fight, and during the whole
winter it was doing something or other.
For instance, on December 2 ist, Sergeant
W. Jeffrey led some of the Lancashire
men in a night attack on some trenches
which the Germans had captured at La
Quinque Rue. This was part of a move
to help the Indians who had been attacked
at Givenchy, and the result of it was the
recapture of the trenches and the saving of
the British line. At Cuinchy, in January,
1915, the North Lancashires were sent to
hold a dangerous part of the front.
A Loyal Regiment
During the spring the exhausted bat-
talion had a rest, but it was wanted
again during the Second Battle of Ypres.
With the other units of the 2nd Brigade,
the North Lancashires did their bit in
those anxious days of May, and a little
later a Territorial battalion — the 4th —
of the same regiment had an opportunity
to show its prowess. This was at Rue
d'Ouvert during the attack on June isth.
The ist Battalion of this regiment,
distinguished by the prefix Loyal, was
raised in Scotland in 1740, and did not
have any connection with Lancashire
until 1782. It was known as the 4yth
Regiment of the Line, and was sent to
Nova Scotia about 1758. At the siege
of the great French fortress of Louisburg
it was in Wolfe's Brigade, and it was
known for a time as " Wolfe's Own " ;
it was in the centre of the thin British line
in the famous battle on the Heights of
Abraham, which made Canada a British
possession. From Canada the 47th went
to serve against the American Colonists,
and after fighting hard at Bunker Hill,
it was part of the force captured at
Saratoga Springs. After the peace it was
made a Lancashire regiment, but it
remained for some years in Canada.
Persian Gull Service — 1815
The old 8 ist, now the 2nd Battalion ol
the North Lancashires, first made a
name for itself at the Battle of Maida
in 1806, when it had a big share in de--
feating the French. Both the 47th and
the 8ist took part in the Peninsular War,
one or both of them fighting at Corunna,
Tarifa. and Vittoria. At the storming of
San Sebastian the 47th did wonders,
but at a cost of two hundred and fifty-
two officers and men killed or wounded.
After the conclusion of the peace ol
1815, the regiment was busy rooting out
the pirates who infested the shores of the
Persian Gulf, and in fighting in India
and Burma. During the Crimean Wai
the Lancashire men fought at the Alma
and at Inkerman, and they were in Afghan-
istan in 1878. During the Boer War part
of the regiment, under Colonel Kekewich,
formed the garrison of Kimberley, and
throughout the campaign its high reputa-
tion was increased.
2088
2089
THE YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY
kFFICERS
killed " is
u n fortu-
nately a very
common headline
in the papers to-
day. It was not
so familiar, how-
ever, on September 2nd, 1914, the day
on which the names of the first officers
killed m the Great War were made
known to the public, and that list, con-
sequently, attracted a good deal of
notice. Under the heading killed, there
were thirty-five names, and eleven of
these, or almost a third, belonged to the
Yorkshire Light Infantry. In addition
the battalion had two reported wounded
and three missing. About a month later
a long list of non-commissioned officers and
men killed, wounded and missing was
published.
The First Shell
These facts told something about the
deeds of our Army in those last anxious
days of August. 1914, and the story can
now be filled in. This 2nd Battalion
of the Yorkshire Light Infantry was at
Dublin when the war began, and on
August yth the men were put on board a
troopship which then steamed away.
Owing to the dangers from mines, it took
a roundabout route ; but after two days
on the water the men landed at Havre,
and soon took train for Le Cateau.
On Thursday the 2oth they got the
order to move, and away they marched,
swinging blithely along and singing as
they went. They were in fine condition,
and in spite of the heat they did thirty-
two miles in the day, and on the next
morning they were off again. Soon they
crossed from France into Belgium, and
then almost the first thing they saw was a
Union Jack and a big canvas flapping
away. On it were the words, " Welcome
to our British comrades." On Saturday
afternoon they were only three miles
from Mons ; there they halted, had some
tea, and slept the night in a brewery.
On Sunday morning the Yorkshiremen,
smoking and lounging about the place
and watching the motors and the Staff
officers dashing by, heard in the distance
the booming of guns, and about mid-
day a shell dropped some eight hundred
yards from where they were. Soon after
this they were ordered to fall in, and after
a short march they found themselves
near the bank of a canal. There they
dug some trenches and waited for the
Germans, who, so it was said, were
moving towards the canal.
The Battle o! Le Cateau
In the afternoon the enemy could be
seen in a wood in the distance, and as
soon as they came near enough our men
got the order to fire, the Yorkshiremen
being the first to aim. Many Germans
were killed, but others came on, and
alter dark our men, although they had
had very few losses, were told to fall
back.
It was in the Battle of Le Cateau.
fought on Wednesday, August 26th,
that the Yorkshire Light Infantry lost
Records of the Regiments in the War.— XIII.
O1
"And what stir
Keeps good old York there with his men
of war."
— SHAKESPEARE. Richard II.
the regiment endures. On a line stretch-
ing from Le Cateau to Cambrai the
Second Army Corps, General Smith-
Dorrien's, dug some trenches and waited
in them for the Germans.
Whereupon, amid the bursting of the
shells and the plunging of the horses,
Holmes rushed out, seized the reins, and
took the team out of danger.
After fighting at the Battle of the Aisne,
the Yorkshire Light Infantry appeared in
Flanders in October, where they had some
stiff work near Givenchy, first advancing
and then being driven back.
The Minden Men
The King's Own Yorkshire Light
Infantry, to give it its full name, is made
up of the old 5ist and iO5th Regiments of
They had not long to wait, and it was the Line. The 5ist was first raised by two
Mons over again. The Germans marched
bravely on, and were shot down. Again
and again this happened, but meanwhile
Yorkshiremen, the Marquess of Rocking-
ham and Sir George Savile, Bart., in 1755,
and it was one of the six British regiments
others of Von Kluck's men were getting which fought at Minden. " Every British
lad," says Mr. Fortescue, the historian of
our Army, " should know the name of
the Minden regiments, and should be
taught to take off his hat to them if ever
he should have the good fortune to meet
them." On August ist, the anniversary
of this battle, the Yorkshire L.I. wear
roses to commemorate their deeds of
glory against the French.
The regiment remained in Germany for
a few years, and then served in Minorca,
Corsica, India and Ceylon. For two years
Sir John Moore was its colonel, and under
him it fought at Corunna. Other battles
in Spain in which the Yorkshiremen took
part were Salamanca, Vittoria, Nivelle and
Orthes. They were at the storming of
Badajoz, and in the " thin red line " at
Waterloo. Burma, Afghanistan, Tirah
and South Africa bring their story down
to the time of the Great War. The regi-
ment's motto is "Cede nullis," or yield
to none, and its badge is — as one would
expect — a white rose.
Strengthened and refreshed, the 2nd
Yorkshire L.I. returned to the front line
early in the New Year, and on January
igth, 1915, one of its lance-corporals, F.
B. Finney, won the D.C.M. by climbing
through the rows of barbed-wire in front
of the German trenches and bringing
back some valuable information.
round the two ends of the British line, and
soon our men found that they were being
fired at, not only from the front, but also
from the side. They stood it for a good
long time, and then about hall-past three
in the afternoon the general gave the
order to retire.
In this engagement the Yorkshiremen
had had a very bad time. One by one
the other battalions got safely away,
all except the Yorkshire Light In-
fantry, who were the last to move. At
length it looked as if the trenches were
entirely deserted, except for dead bodies,
a litter of torn cloth, broken pieces of
shot and shell, and other traces of an
army's presence. But it was not quite
so. In some of the trenches were two
companies of the Yorkshires, the last
of Smith-Dorrien's men. Originally there
were about tour hundred and fifty of
these, but many had been killed and
many more carried away to the am-
bulances. A lew only remained, and
soon the majority of them also were
dead or injured.
The Charge o! the Nineteen
In command of these companies was
Major C. A. L. Yate, a soldier who had
seen the Russo-Japanese War. He soon
found out what had happened. He was
left behind, and he made up his mind
what to do. He called lor the un-
wounded men and found there were nine-
teen of them — nineteen, the remains of
four hundred and fifty ! It was perfectly
hopeless, but instead of ordering them to
creep away, or to wait until the darkness
A Famous Ridge
On " Hill 60 " the Yorkshires lost quite
a number of officers and men in defending
it against savage German attacks. A few
days later they were sent to the help
of the Canadians, and they took their
came, he lined them up, and led them stand at a critical point in the British
._ _ !„„* i * -i — :_„*. 4-u- jme near tne •• unhealthy " spot named
Shell-trap Farm. Day after day they
were under a tempest of shot and shell ;
day after day their numbers grew fewer,
but they held on to the end just as they
had done at Le Cateau, and on April 3oth
they were removed to their old quarters
near " Hill 60."
Frezenberg Ridge is another name for
Yorkshire folk to remember, for on May
8th the ist Battalion of the Yorkshire L.I.
had a dreadful time there. The Germans
planned a strong attack on the centre of
our line, and this began early on Saturday
morning ; alter a long day ot desperate
fighting the battalion, or what remained
of it, was forced to retire about a
mile, but from there the men would
not budge.
in a last bayonet charge against the
Germans — nineteen against hundreds, per-
haps thousands. They could do nothing.
Yate himself and the survivors of his
band were taken prisoners, and the
enemy occupied our trenches, where they
found a number of dead and wounded.
Major Yate was reported dead, but this
was incorrect.
By his gallantry Major Yate had
certainly earned the Victoria Cross, and
on November 2jth it was given to him.
At Le Cateau, also, another Yorkshireman
won it. This was Lance-Corporal F. W.
Holmes, who first carried a wounded man
out of the trenches to safety, and then
went to the help of the artillery. A driver
had been badly wounded and it seemed
as if his gun could not be got away
2000
Three 'Jocks' Guard Six Hundred Prisoners
Reports as to the moral of enemy troops must always be read
with discrimination, but during the attack on July 1st, 1916, there
certainly was one cardinal incident which proved that many of
the enemy were demoralised. An officer writes that, while on his
way to the dressing-station, he came across six hundred German
prisoners whose entire escort consisted of three tall " Jocks,"
" all blood and dirt and rags." The swagger of this little guard
followed by a comparative army of Huns was a sight for the gods.
2091
THE CAMERON HIGHLANDERS
J.Q-, or
General
Head-
quarters, to give
it its full name,
is a mysterious
place "some-
where in France"
where the Com-
mander - in-Chief
of the British
Army is to be
found. A stranger wandering into that
neighbourhood would soon find himself
challenged by a sentry, and unless he could
explain his business very clearly would be
kept at a safe distance. To guard the
Commander-in-Chief and his surroundings
from intrusion and annoyance, a battalion
is usually told off, and the one chosen to
do this for Lord French when he first
went to France in August, 1914, was the
ist Cameron Highlanders.
Officers as Cave Men
But the ist Camerons were not long at
G.H.Q. Disaster had overtaken the Royal
Munster Fusiliers, and, to take their place
in the ist Brigade, Lord French ordered
the Camerons to the front. They joined
the other three battalions on September
4th. and a few days later they were in
some very fierce fighting on the Aisne.
On Sunday, the I3th, the Camerons
crossed the nver near Bourg fairly easily,
and passed the night in some hastily-dug
entrenchments in the hills on the Aisne 's
northern side. On the following Monday
they made their way up the valley
towards Vendresse. In the afternoon they
were sent to support an attack made by
the Loyal North Lancashires on a sugar
factory at Troyon, and there they had a
terrible time. They got quite close to the
main German line of defence, and as they
slipped about on the wet grass they were
shot down in scores. More than half the
battalion — seventeen officers and over
five hundred men — were either killed or
wounded.
A rest was then given to the remnant
ol this battalion, but towards the end
of the month they took the place of the
Black Watch in some of our trenches. At
this time they were commanded by a
captain, Douglas Miers, and finding a cave
about ten yards square, he decided to
make this his headquarters. With the
captain were four other officers and about
thirty men, the rest being on duty in the
trenches.
A New Use for an Inn
Whether the Germans knew where the
headquarters of the battalion were or not
we cannot say, but the officers had only
just become cave men when a huge shell
burst right on the top of their dwelling, and
the whole roof falling in, every one was
buried in the ruins. One or two managed
to crawl out, and one or two more were
rescued by them, while some Scots Guards,
who were in the same brigade, hurried up
and began to dig away the earth above
the unfortunate men. They could not get
on very fast, for the Germans saw what
they were doing, and turned a heavy
fire upon them. After dark a party ot
Engineers came up with proper appliances.
Records of the Regiments in the War.— XIV.
GH.(
G
• t-
" I hear the pibroch sounding, sounding.
Deep o'er the mountain and glen,
While light springing footsteps are tramp-
ling the heath —
'Tis the march of the Cameron men."
and soon got down to the buried men, but
it was too late ; they were all dead. All
five officers perished in this disaster, these
including Captain Miers and Captain
Alan Cameron of Lochiel.
The Camerons must now wait for rein-
forcements before they could do much,
and when these came the battalion, like
the rest of the Army, had been transferred
to Flanders. In the middle of October
the men were holding some trenches near
the high road running between Lange-
marck and Bixschoote. There, on the
night of the 22nd, while the Battle of
Ypres was raging, the Germans broke
through, and a sanguinary conflict
followed. Some of the Camerons were
cut off from the rest of the force, and these
rushed into an inn close by, and turned it
into a little fortress. They held it while
the 2nd Brigade, led by General Bulfin, re-
took the lost trenches and drove off the
enemy with heavy loss.
A Live Extinguisher
With the other eleven battalions of the
ist Division, the Camerons resisted the
desperate attacks made by the Germans
on October 3ist, when the British brigades
were swept from their trenches, and on
November nth, when the Prussian Guard
made its furious onslaught. When this
ended, the Camerons had again been re-
duced to a mere remnant of their original
strength, almost annihilated twice in
two months. The brigade to which they
belonged, the ist, had started with 153
officers and about 5,000 men ; after the
Battle of Ypres it numbered eight officers
and less than 500 men.
So far the narrative has confined itself
to the deeds of the 1st Battalion of this
Highland regiment, which in January
took part in the desperate fighting in the
brickfields at Cuinchy, but it is now time
to say something about the 2nd Battalion,
which arrived at the front from India early
in 1915, and which was fighting at St. Eloi
on February 2oth, if not earlier. On
March isth one of its company sergeant-
majors, G. McCallum, was severely
burned when in command of a trench,
because, seeing no other way of putting
out some burning petrol, he rolled on it,
and so extinguished the blaze.
The 2nd Camerons were part of the new
Filth Army Corps, and this had little share
in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. Perhaps
this was just as well, for the men were
fresh and their ranks were full when the
Germans made their second desperate
attack on Ypres in April and May.
When this battle began, the Camerons,
in the 8ist Brigade and the 27th Division,
were in some trenches near " Kill 60,"
the hill that was no hill, and there they
were when a green vapour — the new
poison gas — was blown slowly towards
the British lines.
In the early days of May the battalion's
fiercest fighting was around Hooge, where
the Germans used poison gas to help them.
On the nth, for instance, two companies
were driven from their trenches, but
Captain R. L. McCall rallied the men, and
in three counter-attacks drove out the
Germans at the point of the bayonet.
On the previous day Sergeant A. G.
Douglas had taken command of a company
which had lost all its officers, and had so
heartened the men that they stuck to their
trench in spite of the enemy's determina-
tion to have it at all costs.
A Cameron and His Axe
But perhaps the most remarkable of
these great deeds of Ypres was that of
Lance-Corporal Gordon, also performed
on the nth. He was one of a party
attached to a machine-gun. Near where
he was the British line was broken, and
soon Gordon was the only one left to work
the gun. Seeing this, six Germans made
for him, but the corporal, seizing an axe,
killed one, while the others took to their
heels. He then used his axe to disable the
machine-gun, and went off to help in
working another. Eventually the Ger-
mans were driven back some way, so
Gordon went out under heavy fire and
brought back the gun he had damaged.
Another, and not less inspiring, story
could be told about the Territorial bat-
talions of the Camerons, which were at the
front in the spring. The 4th Battalion,
mostly men from the Hebrides, took part
in the attack on Festubert in May, and in
this they advanced _ farther into the
German lines than any other unit. How-
ever, they paid heavily for their superb
heroism, their colonel, Lieut.-Colonel A.
Fraser, being among the many killed. In
one place they came up against a broad
stream, but many of them swam it and
made their way into a German trench.
But they were alone, as reinforcements
could not reach them, and in the darkness
they were ordered to retire.
Queen Victoria's Own Regiment
This famous regiment, the Queen's
Own Cameron Highlanders, owes its
origin to Alan Cameron, who, about 1790,
raised 700 young men in his native county
of Inverness, and, as their colonel, soon
led them to the wars. Called the 7gth
Cameron Highlanders, they fought against
Napoleon in Holland and in Egypt,
helped to capture Copenhagen in 1807,
and to beat the French at Corunna,
Talavera, and Busaco. At Fuentes d'Onor
they had a fierce battle in the streets with
the pick of the French troops ; the death
ol their colonel, Alan Cameron's son, in
this encounter roused them to frenzy,
and after it had occurred they swept the
enemy in hasty flight before them.
In Egypt, in our own day, the Camerons
have served with great distinction. At
Tel-el- Kebir they led the charge on the
Egyptian position. At the Battle of the
Atbara they were selected by Kitchener
to storm the Arab zareba, which they did
with conspicuous success, and they took
part in the fight at Omdurman.
The record of the Camerons is one not
easily beaten. From the very first they
have shown that " fierce native daring "
which Byron credited them with in " Childe
Harold," and they have never shown it
more than during the Great War.
2092
THE ROYAL IRISH
Records of the Regiments in the War.— XV.
r
" N the days which
followed the
death of their
leader, General
Hubert Hamilton, on
October I4th, 1914,
the three brigades of
the 3rd Division
fought their way
inch by inch towards
Lille. They made a
fair amount of progress, and about the igth
had got well across the main road which runs
from Estaires to La Bassee, but as they ad-
vanced they found strong German defences.
Hard Luck at Le Pilly
One of the little villages defended by
the Germans was called Le Pilly. It was
in the way of the advance of the 8th
Brigade, and General Doran ordered one
of his battalions, the 2nd Royal Irish, to
storm it. The battalion had been fight-
ing hard for some time, and was not at
full strength, a major being in command,
but the men were quite ready to tackle
the job. A plan of attack was arranged,
the men silently took their places round
the village, company by company and
platoon by platoon, and got quite near to
it by a series of short rushes. Then, with
a shout, they were in the village, and in a
few minutes all the Germans therein had
either been killed or put to flight. They
dug trenches round it, put their machine-
guns into positions,' and made themselves
as comfortable as they could for the night.
So Le Pilly became a British — or, rather,
an Irish — village, but it was only for a
short time. The Germans are great
believers in sharp counter-attacks, for
these nearly always find their opponents
in a weakened condition, and sometimes
surprise them. Unfortunately for us, they
had just taken Lille, and were pouring
into that city masses of fresh troops, and
some of these were ordered to retake th2
captured village. They marched out early
in the morning of the 2oth, and com-
pletely surrounded Le Pilly. The Irish
put up a good fight, but they were cut
off from all assistance, and during the day
they were forced to surrender.
A Gallant Quartermaster-Sergeant
This battalion of the Royal Irish had
been at the front from the very first. At
the Battle of Mons they helped to line the
canal which runs from that town through
the colliery villages to Conde, and until
nightfall they fired steadily at the oncom-
ing Germans. In the dark they marched
back about five miles, and an incident
which occurred at this time is well worthy
of mention. The scene was a summer
night, with our men marching away from
Mons and a great number of Germans
hard on their heels, shells bursting all
around, and the sky lit up by the glare
from burning buildings. Just outside
Mons, Quartermaster-Sergeant T. W.
Fitzpatrick saw how close the Germans
were getting to his men, so at some cross-
roads he collected fifty of them together
and told them they must keep back the
enemy. Under his direction they took up
their positions, and their good shooting pre-
vented the Germans from advancing for
quite a time. The Irish were helped by a
" We went on to meet the old i8th Royal
Irish Regiment, the senior of all the Irish
regiments. The night before, the Com-
mander-in-Chief , Sir John French, had
asked me to convey a message of congratula-
tion to this regiment for their gallantry in
the field, and to assure them how proud he
was to be their colonel."
— MR. JOHN REDMOND.
machine-gun which had been abandoned by
some of the British troops ; for Fitzpatrick
got hold of this, and with another man
repaired it so that it could be used again.
After their night's march the Royal
Irish reached a position selected for them
between Framenes and Quarouble, where
they were no longer amid the grime and
dirt of colliery refuse, but in fields of
ripening corn. Another fight, another
tiring march, and they were near Le
Cateau, ready to take part in the battle
of August 2bth. A day of hard fighting
there was followed by another retreat,
but by then the worst was over. On the
Thursday and Friday of that terrible
week less was seen of the Germans, who
were much too weary to push on as
quickly as they had previously done, and
on the Saturday Sir John French was able
to give his men a day's rest.
The Irish at Vailly
After the Marne the Aisne. The Royal
Irish and the rest of the 8th Brigade
crossed the latter river at Vailly. This
was a very daring piece of work, and for
their part in it two privates of the Royal
Irish, J. Doherty and N. Fernie, won the
Distinguished Conduct Medal. When the
men stood to arms at three o'clock in the
morning it was raining hard. They got
down to the bank of the river without
serious loss, and as soon as the Engineers
had built a pontoon bridge they dashed
across, and found what shelter they could
on the other side. Trenches were quickly
dug, and these gave some protection from
the German shells, which fell in a furious
shower all around.
The next spell of fighting was an
attempt to make way up the hills to the
German guns at the top. At their first
effort the Royal Irish and their comrades
were driven back to Vailly, but at the
second they were more fortunate, and
the Germans had the sorrow of seeing them
firmly entrenched on some higher ground.
There they remained until the whole of the
British army was transferred to Flanders.
Then came Le Pilly, and while the 2nd
Battalion was being re-formed by drafts
from home, the ist arrived at the front from
India, and in February saw a little fighting.
These Irishmen were in the new ayth
Division, and were in trenches near St.
Eloi, where, on the night of St. Valentine's
Day, they received an unexpected visit from
the Germans, who rushed some portions
of their trenches. Only for a few hours,
however, did the enemy keep them, for
the next morning they were turned out.
In this fighting five Distinguished Conduct
Medals were won by men of the Royal Irish,
all for heroism in rescuing the wounded.
This was just a trial run for the battle in
which the Irish took part in March. After
our troops had gained a certain amount of
ground around Neuve Chapelle on the
loth, the Germans made ready for their
usual counter-attack. This came on the
I4th, and was fiercest, not at Neuve
Chapelle, but at St. Eloi, about fifteen
miles away to the north. There, as
exactly a month before, the ist Royal
Irish and the rest of the 27th Division
were holding the trenches, and as before,
they were driven from them by the
unexpected rush of men.
The Turn of the Irish
In this game of " pull devil, pull baker,"
it was now the turn of the baker. At two
o'clock on the morning of the isth Uie
necessary preparations for a British'
attack hail been made, and the Royal
Irish and the three other battalions of
the 82nd Brigade were standing ready in
the silence of the night. At the word of
command they leapt forward, and before
the day was very old they had driven the
Germans from the village of St. Eloi and
had retaken some of the lost trenches.
Lieutenant-Colonel G. F. R. Forbes, whc
led the Irish in this assault, died of his
wounds a few days later, and Major F. S.
Lillie was among the killed.
This famous regiment, the Royal Irish,
long known as the i8th of the Line, was
raised in the time of Charles II., and after
serving in Ireland, went to the Netherlands
to fight for William of Orange. There
the Irishmen won for themselves immortal
glory by their part in the assault on
Namur, August 2oth, 1695. In memory
of its gallantry then the regiment now
bears on its colours the lion of Nassau, the
emblem of William of Orange.
Under Marlborough the Irish fought at
Blenheim and in the duke's other great
victories. Their impetuous bravery at
the Siege of Venloo carried them right into
the fortress, where the garrison quickly
surrendered at the sight of such terrible
fellows, and they also did good work at
the Siege of Tournai.
Ireland's Proud Past
On their deeds at Malplaquet Irishmen
can look back with pride and yet with
sorrow. There the Royal Irish found
themselves opposite the Royal Irlandais,
a regiment of gallant exiles who had taken
service under the King of France, and
in the fighting the superior discipline
of Marlborough's men prevailed.
For many years after the peace of 1714
the Royal Irish did only garrison duty.
They were in Minorca from 1718 to 1742,
and from then until 1800 were in Ireland,
Corsica, and the West Indies. In 1801
they were in Egypt, and from 1805 to 1817
in Jamaica.
After some more years of inactivity the
regiment fought in China in 1840, then in
Burma, and in 1854-55 in the Crimea,
where the men shared in the assault on
the Redan. They had met the Maoris of
New Zealand in battle before they were
sent to Afghanistan in 1879, and to Egypt
in 1882. At Tel-el-Kebir, according to
Lord Wolseley, the regiment " particularly
distinguished itself." More recently it
served in Rhodesia, on the Indian Frontier,
and in South Africa, and then went again
to Flanders.
2093
Smiling Soldier Sons of the Emerald Isle
Men of the Royal Irish resting in the long grass behind a rampart In France. Rifles are piled, and the mental tension of war
is relaxed. But even through the broad smiles of these loyal men from Ireland one can detect the determination to win.
(Photographs Canadian copyright reserved.)
Some fighting expressions of the Royal Irish. Many of the men are wearing enemy helmets captured just prior to this
photograph being taken. But no number of Pickelhauben could possibly make a British soldier look like a German.
2094
THE CAMERONIANS OR SCOTTISH RIFLES
E U V E
C H A-
PELLE
— March loth,
nth, I2th, 1915
— was the first
of that new and
terrible kind oi
battle with
which the Great
War has made
us familiar. In the good old days the two
armies met. on a more or less level piece of
ground, such as Naseby Field or Lutzen,
Leipzig or Waterloo, and went for each
other on fairly equal terms, and this
was so even as recently as the Battle of
the Marne. Then came a total change ;
a war of entrenchments began. The two
sides dug trenches, real underground
dwellings, not just ditches scraped hastily
out of Mother Earth, and in front of these
they put up defences of all kinds, barbed-
wire entanglements and every sort of
obstacle that human ingenuity could
devise. Nor was this all. All over the
place they hid machine-guns, and they
kept their whereabouts secret to the very
last minute ; behind these were bigger
guns, also cunningly hidden away, and in
the trenches were men with rifles, peering
through peepholes and periscopes —
watching for the enemy. These and all
the other preparations having been made,
the only thing to do was to wait and see.
New Method of Attack
In a war of this kind, it is as certain as
anything can be that the side which
attacks will lose far more than the side
which just sits still and shoots, and
generals thought twice before attacking
in such conditions. Very soon, how-
ever, someone suggested a way out of the
difficulty, and this was tried by the
British at Neuve Chapelle. It was to fire
high-explosive shells in enormous quanti-
ties, their object being not so much to
kill men as to blow into smithereens
parapets, barbed-wire fences, and every-
thing else in front of the enemy's trenches.
This done, the infantry could advance,
and the fight would be the old one of man
to man, the best man to win.
Neuve Chapelle
At Neuve Chapelle the British artillery
began the battle at 7.30 on the morning
of Wednesday, March loth. Four shells
to the yard was the allowance served out
to the gunners, and lor over hall an hour
the sound was deafening, our men's ears
being almost burst as they crouched in
the trenches and waited while the terrible
missiles went over them on their journey.
The whole earth vibrated as if one of the
gods, Thor or Vulcan, was striking it with
a hammer, and the German parapets and
entanglements disappeared in a cloud of
dust, while the trenches, too, were
destroyed, and the whole place flattened
out. Then, at five minutes past eight, the
infantry leapt out and dashed forward.
To the north of the village of Neuve
Chapelle the battalions chosen to make
the attack were the four belonging to the
23rd Brigade, and one of these was the
2nd Cameronians, who were at Malta
Records of the Regiments in the War.— XVI.
N
" The struggle lasted four hours. By that
time the Cameronians were reduced nearly
to their last flask o/ powder ; but their
spirit never flagged. . . . Then the drums
struck up ; the victorious Puritans threw
their caps into the air, raised, with one
voice, a psalm of triumph and thanksgiving,
and waved their colours, colours which were
on that day unfurled for the first time in
the face of an enemy."
— MACAULAY'S " History of England."
when the war began. They rushed forward
as gaily as the rest, but a dreadful ex-
perience met them before they reached
the German trenches. The barbed-wire
entanglements, the trenches, the machine-
guns, everything was there just as if there
had been no bombardment. As they tore
with their naked hands at the wire, the
Germans shot them down in scores.
Their officers did all they could to get
forward, but soon the colonel and fourteen
of them had been killed and most of the
others wounded.
A Costly Miscalculation
The reason for this failure to destroy
the German positions as they had been
destroyed elsewhere along the line is as
follows : Just where the Cameronians
attacked, the German trenches were in a
slight hollow, and the shells missed this
and burst beyond. For this error the
Cameronians paid a terrible price — several
hundreds of young and gallant lives.
To return to the story. In that terrible
moment, with the barbed-wire intact in
front, and officers and men dropping not
one by one, but ten by ten, the battalion
did not break, and that fact deserves to
be recorded in every story of the Great
War. A wounded officer, Major G. T. C.
Carter-Campbell, took over the command,
and the survivors were ordered to lie down
in the open and take what cover they
could find. They obeyed, and lay there
for some time, until the British guns again
got to work — on the right spot this time.
Soon a gap had been made in the German
defences, and a company which had
escaped the worst of the slaughter was
sent against it. The men got through this
time, and soon the remnant of the
battalion had joined up with the others
behind the enemy's lines. On the evening
of March I2th, two days later, this success
was followed up. and under Lieutenant
Somervail the Cameronians took part in
another attack. On the I4th the same
officer, by then the only one left, led the
survivors out of action.
Heroes in the Ranks
Those awful days revealed many heroes
m the ranks of the Cameronians. The first
of them to dash into the German trenches
was Private H. R. Cannon, while another
private. W. Tongs, at a very critical
moment rushed up his machine-gun and
soon accounted lor a German gun which
was doing a lot of damage. Sergeant Mayo,
after all his officers had been killed or
wounded, collected the men together and
led them forward against the Germans.
These Cameronians belong to a regiment
first raised, as Macaulay tells us, in 1689.
The original Cameronians were stout
Protestants, but with no conscientious
objections to fighting in defence of their
liberties, and they were glad enough,
therefore, to help William of Orange
against James II. and his Roman Catholic
friends. At Dunkeld, on August 4th,
1689, they beat back a desperate attack
made by the Highlanders, and since then
they have served honourably every
British King and Queen.
A Private in Command
Enrolled in the Regular Army as the 26th
Regiment of the Line, the Cameronians
served under Dutch William in Flanders,
and fought in Marlborough's four great
battles — Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudinarde,
and Malplaquet. The 2nd Battalion of
the regiment — the old goth — was raised in
1794, and fought with honour in Egypt
and at Corunna. Later it was in South
Africa ; in the Crimea the battalion took
part in the assault on the Redan, and in
India it marched with Havelock to relieve
Lucknow. The regiment also fought in
Abyssinia and Zululand, and through the
Boer War.
In November, 1914, the 2nd Battalion
of this regiment went to France, and, as.
related, took part in the Battle of Neuve
Chapelle. The ist Battalion was already
there, being one of those sent out to guard
the lines of communication. During the
retreat from Mons it was hurried up to
the front, and in the succeeding weeks
the men saw a good deal of fighting.
On October 22nd, for instance, at the
beginning of the First Battle of Ypres,
some of them were in a very tight place,
but under a private, W. Cairns, all the
officers having been either killed or
wounded, they fought a gallant rearguard
action, and throughout the winter many
other deeds of bravery were recorded
of Cameronians.
New Armies in the Field
Quite early in the war the Cameronians
had a Territorial battalion at the front.
This was the 5th, under Lieut. -Col. R. T.
Douglas, and it did good service during
the Battle of Ypres in October, 1914, and
throughout the following winter. The
6th — another Territorial battalion —
showed great gallantry in an attack on
some German trenches made on June
1 5th. Across open ground the Scots
rushed on ; the trenches were captured,
but we were unable to hold them.
The service battalions, the men of Lord
Kitchener's army, were the next to arrive
at the front, and several of these won,
great glory at the Battle of Loos. One to
do so was the loth Cameronians. They
were part of the 1 5th Division, one marked
off to seize Loos itselt. This they did, the
Cameronians and the rest of the 4bth
Brigade sweeping round from the north,
and then, not content with this success,
they made for " Hill 70 " beyond. As
at Neuve Chapelle. they did all that brave
men could do, and the long list of dead
on the regimental roll proves them worthy
of those stark Scots warriors who died
around King James at Flodden, or those
who fell with Wauchope at Magersfontein.
2095
Brave Highlanders to the Attack at Mametz
In the fighting for Mametz, during the great advance of
July 1st, 1916, Scottish troops were allotted perhaps the hardest
task of all. The village was strongly fortified and defended by
machine-guns and bombs innumerable. The Scots fought with
determined courage, and the Germans put up a desperate
resistance, but eventually were overpowered. Towards evening
Mametz had been cleared of the enemy, and the triumphant
Scots began consolidating the position against counter-attack.
2096
THE CHESHIRES
Records of the Regiments in the War.— XVII.
LK
I KE the Gor-
don High-
landers and
the Munster Fusi-
liers, the Cheshires
^experienced a sad
^a n d unmerited
disaster at the
opening of the
Great War. On
Sunday, August 23rd, 1914, the isth
Brigade, to which the 1st Battalion ot
this regiment belonged, was in reserve,
some little way behind the canal between
Mons and Conde. As far as they were
concerned, the day passed away without
any considerable excitement or loss, but
on the Monday it was very different.
The British retreat, as everyone knows,
was ordered to begin after nightfall, and
early on Monday morning the Second
Corps, General Smith-Dorrien's, was
marching steadily away. The Germans
were hurrying rapidly round the west, or
exposed end of the corps, their object
being to drive our men into each other
in hopeless confusion, to cut them off
Irom their supplies and supports, and then
to wait for their surrender. It was quite
a sound plan ; but, fortunatelv for us,
Smith-Dorrien was too old a soldier to be
caught in this way. The Cheshires were
ordered to prevent the Germans from
carrying out their scheme by keeping
them back while those battalions which
had taken a more active part in the fight-
ing at Mons got safely away.
The Ridge of Death
Near the village of Eloges there is a
slight ridge, and there Colonel Boger
decided to post his men. During the
morning they did as they were told to do,
they kept back the Germans by their
well-aimed fire ; but they themselves
were losing heavily, and, moreover, the
Germans were soon almost all round them.
About three o'clock in the afternoon
Colonel Boger got rather anxious, and
sent to the general for instructions. No
answer came back, for the rest of the
brigade had gone, and " none appeared
in sight but enemies." A bayonet charge
was tried, but this could not break
through the ranks of the Germans, growing
more numerous every minute as fresh
troops hurried up, and in a little while
those Cheshires who were not killed had
surrendered. Some did, indeed, make
their way through the German circle and
manage to join the rest ot the brigade,
but of the battalion ot a thousand men
all save some two hundred were gone.
When the casualty lists reached
England, these Cheshires — eighteen
officers and a large number of men —
were merely returned as missing, but that
was not the lull tale. Many had been
killed and more wounded, and gradually
the news filtered through — one return, for
instance, mentioning that one of the
eighteen missing officers was dead, while
five others were wounded prisoners.
Fresh Blood for the Regiment
In spite of this heavy loss, the 1st
Cheshires kept their place in the army,
and were soon reinforced by drafts from
home. About one of these dratts an
But as the day increased, so our men
decreased ; and as the light grew more and
more, by so much more grew our discomforts.
For mine appeared in sight but enemies."
— SIR WALTER RALEIGH.
interesting story is told. One evening,
a certain general had made all his plans
for an attack, when there was a knock
at the door, and an officer, having entered
and saluted, stated that he had arrived
with two hundred fresh men tor the
Cheshires. The difficulty was that this
officer was senior in rank to the officer
then commanding the battalion, the one
to whom the general had given his in-
structions ; so consequently the whole
plan had to be discussed over again and
new arrangements made.
Prom the Aisne to Lille
A good deal could be said about the
deeds of the Cheshires at the Battle of
the Aisne, in September, 1914. after which
01 all their officers who had been at Mons
Captain Frost was the only one lett. The
ijth Brigade, to which they belonged,
crossed the river on rafts between Missy
and Venizel, and then stuck grimly to
positions around the village of St.
Marguerite until they got orders to move
nearer to the sea. There in October
they were first of all fighting their way
towards Lille, and then doggedly stand-
ing fast and preventing the German
hordes from reaching Calais.
In this latter fighting the Cheshires,
for the second time, had serious losses.
They were in trenches near the village ot
Violaines, in front of Festubert, when on
October 22nd the enemy attacked in
great force. The trenches were stormed
and the Cheshires, contesting every inch
ot the ground, were forced slowly back.
Fighting on Hill 60
At length the German rush was checked
and the remnant of the battalion rallied
in Festubert. Again the regiment had
a long list of missing officers, this in-
cluding four captains, W. S. Rich, L. A.
Forster, H. I. St. J. Hartford, and J. L.
Shore, while another, F. H. Mahony.
died from his wounds. A little later,
Gerard Anderson, one of the most brilliant
scholars and athletes that Oxford has ever
produced, was killed in the ranks of the
Cheshires.
For a time, after the terrific fighting at
Ypres had come to an end, the battalion
had a rest, but in May it was once more
in the forefront of the battle. The men
were on Hill 60, and there they fought
desperately when the Germans with their
gas attacked it on the 5th. It was at
this time that their colonel, Licut.-Col.
A. de C. Scott, was killed.
Not far from this ist Battalion was the
2nd Battalion of this regiment, and at the
front, too, was a Territorial battalion, the
5th, which also had a share in defending
Ypres. The 2nd Battalion had come
trom India early in the year, and in
February had had an experience of trench
wariare in Flanders, an unwelcome change
from the warm climate from which the
men had come. They were in the 84th
Brigade, and day after day they resisted the
torrent of shot and shell poured upon them,
and to them belongs some of the glory for
the incomparable defence of Ypres.
Amazing Bombing Feat
The summer passed away, and then
came the Battle of Loos. On'the first days
of October, just after our big attack, the
2nd Cheshires were holding some trenches
near Vermelles, and there they were
violently attacked. Bombs were the
weapons chiefly used, and by means of
them some Germans penetrated into our
lines. They did not get there easily,
however. In one company of the
Cheshires a certain Private Nixon threw
bombs among them for a day and a night,
until he was the only man left, and in
another company Captain Freeman won
the Military Cross for gallantry equally
conspicuous.
The Battle of Loos brought honour, also,
to another battalion of the Cheshires, the
gth, composed of men of the New Army.
With other battalions their business on
September sth, the day of the big push,
was to keep the Germans near Festubert
very busy, and so to prevent them from
sending men to resist our main attack at
Loos. They advanced in good style, and
having achieved their purpose, fell back.
A Royal Oak-leaf
Finally, in December last, the Cheshiros,
like many other battalions, sent out
bombing parties, which did a good deal
of damage. For instance, on the night ot
the 6th, the ist Battalion sent out one
under Second-Lieut. G. P. Harding. One
of the greatest difficulties was the tre-
mendous amount of mud through which
the men had to wade ; but they got to
the enemy's trenches and accounted lor
several of their foes. Three weeks later,
on the 2gth. the new I3th Battalion had a
turn, for a party of them made a successtul
raid on some trenches at Le Touquet.
The Cheshire Regiment, the old 22nd
of the Line, was one of those first raised
in 1689, just after William ot Orange
became King of England. The men
fought in Ireland, and fitly years later
were at Dettingen, where the Cheshires
saved King George II. from some French
cavalry. The king was then under an
oak-tree, and when the danger was over
he plucked a leaf therefrom and gave it
to the leader of the men around him.
This explains why since then the Cheshires
have always had an oak-leaf on their dress
and colours.
The regiment helped to capture Louis-
burg from France in 1758, and was
afterwards in the West Indies and the
East Indies. It was in Jamaica in 1831,
and a little later was again in India,
where it won great glory under Sir Charles
Napier. At Meanee, the Cheshires were
the only Britons in Napier's little
army, and then they obeyed their leader's
order to die rather than let the enemy
get through. At Hyderabad their gallantry
was equally conspicuous, and largely to
them is due the fact that Scinde is to-day
part of the British Empire. Their later
services include campaigns in Burma
and a share in the South African War.
DASHING DRAGOON" GUARDS ROl'T GERMAN LVFANTRY IN THE GREAT ADVANCE OF 1916.
Oi» the evening of July I5th, 1916, during the great British advance, a detachment of Dragoon Guards and Deccan Horse charged the
enemy between Bazentih and Oelville Woods. This was the first occasion on which British cavalry had been in action since October, 1914.
2097
THE EAST SURREYS
Records of the Regiments in the War.— XVIII.
w
'ITH very
good reason,
indeed, have
the men of the ist
Battalion of the East
Surrey Regiment
been called the heroes
of Hill 60, and the
story of their deeds
there is one of the
most stirring in the annals of the Great
War. Put very briefly it is as follows :
Hill 60 is about three miles from Ypres.
In the real sense of the word it is not a hill
at all, but just a mound formed by
dumping down the soil taken from the
railway cutting close by. It was seized by
the British on April lyth, 1915, and during
the next few days the Germans made the
most frantic efforts to regain it. It was held
at first by the 1 3th Brigade, but in a day or
two the I4th came up to their assistance,
and in this were the ist East Surreys.
An April Night
Throughout the iQth and the 2oth the
Surrey men crouched in their trenches,
while shot and shell fell all around them,
and just before dusk on the 2oth the
German infantry advanced. The Surreys
had lost somewhat heavily, but their
previous experience was nothing to that
which they met with during the darkness
of that April night. They were out-
numbered, but yet for an hour and a half
they kept the enemy out, and then finding
that they could not be moved, the Germans
tried a new kind of attack. Again and
again they sent forward parties of grena-
diers, who, stealing up unnoticed in the
gloom, hurled their grenades into i-ie
trenches, and then rushed forward to take
advantage of the confusion. But it was
no use, the Surreys, like the men mentioned
by Montaigne, would not " bouge," and
morning found them still on Hill 60— still
undismayed.
All the time, day and night alike, the
German guns were peppering the hill
with shell of all kinds, among the missiles
being bombs which choked and blinded
our men with their foul, gaseous smells.
On the 2 ist, which was a Wednesday,
their infantry got a footing on the hill,
but they only remained there for a few
hours. As at Verdun, nearly a year later,
it must be said that it took a good deal
to daunt the Germans and make them
leave off their assaults, and for two or
three days more the East Surreys and the
rest of the defenders of the hill had hardly
a moment's respite. But they held on
to the end.
For this defence of Hill 60 three Victoria
Crosses were given to the East Surreys,
although perhaps a hundred were earned.
One of these was awarded to Lieutenant
Koupell, who commanded a company,
which on the 2Oth was holding some front
trenches. Although Roupell had been
wounded, he did not retire from the field ;
instead, seeing the Germans moving
forward, he led out his men to meet them
with the bayonet, and had the satisfaction
of driving them back. Then he went off
to the .dressing-station, had his wounds
dressed, and was quickly at his post again,
cheering on his men.
D ID
" // your enemies headlong rush upon
you, stay for them and bouge not ; if they
without stirring stay for you, run with fury
upon them."
— MONTAIGNE.
It was now getting dark, and many of
Roupell's men had been killed or wounded,
so he went to his commanding officer, who
was in a rear trench, and explained the
position. Then he led some reinforcements
up to the front trenches, being under heavy
fire all the time, and with them held the
line through another terrible night. In the
morning he and the few who remained
were given a well-deserved rest.
The Surrey V.C.'s
Equally gallant was the action of
Second-Lieutenant B. H. Geary. A pla-
toon under his command was holding a
crater on the hill, and early in the night
the German shells destroyed the defences.
Then in the darkness the bombers came
on, but Geary and his men beat them back
time after time. Totally indifferent to
danger, the officer was at one moment
firing a rifle, at another throwing grenades,
and at another exposing himself to find
out what the Germans were doing. When
he had a few minutes of freedom, he was
either looking after the supply of am-
munition or arranging for reinforcements.
On the next day he was severely wounded,
but happily he lived to receive the V.C.
On that same night Lance-Corporal
Edward Dwyer won a third V.C. for the
regiment. A party of bombers had got
quite close to his trench and were throwing
in their missiles. Dwyer, therefore, having
seized a supply, leapt out on to the parapet
and returned the compliment, to the
annoyance of the figures he could just see
in the darkness.
More Samples of Heroism
There is no room here to tell of the
many other heroic deeds done by the
East Surreys on Hill 60. The story
of some of them is hidden away in the
pages of the " London Gazette " ; others
are only known because comrades who
saw them have told of them ; but others,
the greater number perhaps, will never be
made public, for amid the darkness, the
horror and the noise they were unnoticed,
and the men who did them are either dead
or far too modest to speak of them. The
following, then, must be regarded as
samples of many more.
Like Dwyer, Lance-Corporal W. H.
Harding went out of his trench and
threw grenades at the enemy, while about
the same time Private F. Grimwood was
coolly filling up with sandbags the holes
made by the Germans in the parapet,
" standing exposed in the gap while the
sandbags were handed up to him."
Private A. Hotz " did his bit " in a
different but equally useful way. He got
near a trench along which the Germans
must pass when they came forward to
attack, and as soon as they appeared he
hurled bombs at them, and made them
change their minds about advancing.
The East Surrey Regiment, to which
these heroes belong, was raised in 1701,
and was long known as the 3ist Foot. It
was at Dettingen, where King George II.
gave the men their nickname of the
" Young Buffs," and at Fontenoy it lost
very heavily. In 1756 a fresh battalion
was raised, and was numbered the 7oth,
the two being united as the East Surrey
Regiment in 1881.
When the Great War broke out the
1st Battalion was in Ireland, and at once,
as part of Sir Charles Fergusson's sth
Division, it sailed for France. It was at
Mons, and had a terrible time during the
retreat to the Marne, for the fiercest
German attacks were made against this
part of the British force. In the Battle of
the Marne the East Surreys and their
comrades in the jth Division were told off
to attack the most difficult section of the
line, and less than a week later they had
forced their way across the Aisne.
A Stand at Missy
Once across that river their difficulties
were worse than ever. Around the village
of Missy the Surrey men took their stand,
but unfortunately the German guns were
on the high ground above, and shot and
shell swept over them and among them
day by day. However, there was no
driving them back, and near Missy they
remained until the whole army made its
way to Flanders.
The October fighting in Flanders began
with Smith-Dorrien's attack on La Bassee,
and Sir John French told them that in this
" terribly severe fighting you " — the East
Surreys — " were faced by three, if not four,
times your numbers, and experienced
some of the fiercest fighting of the war."
Then came a rest, and after that the
heroism of the battalion on Hill 60.
But this is only the record ot one
battalion of the East Surreys, and only a
little of that, and there were others at
the front. Early in 1915 the 2nd Battalion
arrived in France from India, and as part
of the 28th Division it fought in the
Second Battle of Ypres. There, somewhere
about the centre of the British line, the
Surrey men faced the German gas without
flinching, and their staunchness was
deservedly praised by Sir John French, who
said : " Your colours have many famous
names emblazoned on them, but none
will be more famous or more well-deserved
than that of the Second Battle of Ypres."
Round the Hohenzollern Redoubt, in
September, this battalion was again to
the fore, and there one of its second-
lieutenants, A. J. T. Fleming-Sandes, won
the V.C. for saving the line at a very
critical time.
Another East Surrey battalion to
distinguish itself was the 8th, one com-
posed of " Kitchener's chaps." This took
part in the fighting at Loos, and those
who would like to know something of
their gallantry in those days should turn
to the " London Gazette " of November
zgth, 1915. The story is not less worth
telling than is that of the ist Battalion
on Hill 60, or of the 2nd at Ypres,
and one day surely the world will know
it in full.
2098
|1 THE ROYAL WEST KENTS |
Records of the Regiments in the War.— XIX.
Thcv returned 1
T
experienced,
soldier-brain
of Sir Horace
Smi th-Dorrien,
which had
directed the main
attack at Paarde-
berg, was per-
(plexed. With his
army corps, made
up of the 3rd and
5th Divisions, he had been ordered to break
the connection between the Germans and
La Bassee, and so make it possible to
capture that place. On October igth —
this WAS in 1914 — he was within sight of
his goal, but on the 2Oth it was as far
away as ever. The reason was that the
Germans had rushed up a lot of fresh
troops, and these were surging forward to
drive the British into space. To save his
men, to say nothing of Calais and
Boulogne behind them, the general must
make a new plan. In these conditions
a battle began, one which, like so many
others in the Great War, is nameless. It
took place between Givenchy and Neuve
Chapelle, this being the " here " men-
tioned in the quotation above, and it
lasted for nearly a fortnight. The British
troops had dug trenches to protect them-
selves, and in some of these near Givenchy
were the West Kents and the rest of the
1 3th Brigade, under General Cuthbert, all
part of the jth Division.
King George's Rival
The German attack began about the
2oth. It was made chiefly by Bavarian
troops, commanded by their Crown Prince
— that Rupert who, so a few deluded folk
used to say, was son of the rightful Queen
of England. On the 22nd it was fierce, and
the 5th Division had to abandon the
village of Violaines, but two days later it
was fiercer still. This time the 3rd
Division were the chief sufferers, and it
would have gone badly with them but
lor the timely help of the West Kents
and the Wiltshires. These battalions
dashed up just in time and, bayonet in
hand, drove back the enemy.
This done, they went back to their own
trenches, and on the 26th they were
bombarded with a vengeance. It seemed
as if all the guns on earth were firing at
them, so terrible was the din and so
incessant the shower of missiles. At the
rate of a hundred an hour shells fell upon
their parapets and in their trenches,
sending up huge clouds of debris ; at one
time, it is said, they arrived at the rate
of ten a minute.
The damage done can be better imagined
than described. The parapets had disap-
peared, and the trenches were blocked up
with fallen earth ; so, too, were the sup-
port and communication trenches, the
result being that all ammunition and
messages had to be carried over the open
ground, where bullets from rifles and
machine-guns were whizzing. A curious
story told of a West Kent man probably
relates to this heavy bombardment. A
German shell burst near where he was
standing with a comrade. The comrade
disappeared, and no trace of him was ever
seen, but our man was lound hanging
" Here the ist Battalion of the Royal
West Kents made a stand for ten days that
ranks amongst the highest achievements of
Bntish troops." _.. Jhe Great War/-
head downwards in a tree, fifteen feet
from the ground, and his rifle .was there,
too. He was got down and, strange to
say, was none the worse for his upward
flight, except that for a day or two he
could neither speak nor hear.
Towards the close of the day the
Germans landed some heavy shells plumb
into the firing trenches of the West Kents,
and then, expecting doubtless that there
would be hardly anyone left to kill, they
charged. But for them there was a
surprise in store.
Some Kentish Fire
In spite of the awful bombardment
the Kents had held their ground, sticking
gamely to what was left of the trenches.
They had lost heavily, but there were
enough of them left to check the oncoming
enemy with a well-aimed volley of rapid
fire. The first attack was stopped, but
other Germans came on only to meet with
the same waim reception from men who
ought, according to theory, to be dead or
buried, or both. Finally, the remnant of
the gallant battalion leapt from the
trenches and drove the enemy in con-
fusion before their bayonets.
With this the worst of their ordeal by
battle was over. They stayed in their
trenches a few days longer, and were then
relieved, being led out of action by a
lieutenant, th« senior officer remaining
unwounded.
This lieutenant, H. B. Haydon White,
received the Distinguished Service Order
for " bringing his battalion out of action
after ten successive days in the trenches,
during which time he showed great powers
of leadership and determination of a high
order." The story of this heroic stand
soon spread through the ranks of the
army corps, and those who saw the West
Kents gave them a great reception, while
General Smith-Dorrien said : " There is
not another battalion that has made such
a name for itself as the Royal West Kent."
Six German Snipers Settled
While the battalion was resting in
November one of its privates was having
a great time. This was J. T. Turnbnll,
who night after night went out to get
information about the enemy's position.
Although under constant fire, Turnbull
returned safely with some useful facts,
and not only that, but during his nocturnal
rambles he found and disposed of six
German snipers, bringing back their rifles
to show to his comrades.
The ist Battalion of the West Kents
had been at the front for over two months
when Lieutenant White led the men from
the trenches. They had lined the Conde
Canal on Sunday, August 23rd, and had
fallen back to Le Cateau and then to the
Marne, fighting nearly all the time. Near
another Conde they had made their way
across the Aisne, and in the sodden
trenches on the north side of that river
they remained until they were transferred
the trenches early in 1915, and during the
year remained holding on to their part of
the front, but not taking a prominent part
in the big actions.
When the Great War began the 2nd
Battalion of the West Kents was in India,
and there they remained for nearly a year
more. In the spring of 1915, however, it
became necessarj' to send reinforcements
to the army in Mesopotamia, and this
battalion was among them. Having
landed and got over the voyage, they were
sent up the Euphrates as part of the force
under Major-General G. F. Gorringe. It
was on July 4th that they reached the
Turkish positions, near Nasiriyeh, and the
battle which took place there is usually
called by that name.
This Battle of Nasiriyeh was a feather
in the cap of the West Kents. With
some Indian battalions they were on the
left bank of the Euphrates, the rest of the
army being on the right bank. First of
all the guns got to work, and when they had
disturbed the Turks for about an hour,
the West Kents led the way forward. The
first part of their advance was through
some date groves, but as soon as they got
out of this shelter they found the Turks
were as alert and well armed as their
German masters.
Mr. Turk in Flight
Let an officer who watched the advance
describe it. Our fire was doing its best
to cover the advance, but in spite of it the
West Kents were up against a terrific
fusillade, " and it was the most magnificent
sight I have ever seen to watch those
fellows going on under it, in spite of the
casualties, just as if they were on a
manoeuvre parade." Now for the final
act. " As soon as they got to the trenches
they wheeled round to the right, so we
had to stop our fire for fear of hitting them,
and got into the trenches, and then we lost
sight of them. They got in with their
bayonets, and all we could see from where
we were was Mr. Turk running, as if the
devil himself were after him, to our right,
and we plugged him as he went."
This fine regiment, the Queen's Own
Royal West Kent, was first raised in 1756.
the year when the Seven Years' War broke
out, but it did not do much in the way of
fighting for nearly forty years. In 1793
the men were in Corsica, and in 1801 in
Egypt, where they had some stiff combats ;
in 1807 they helped to besiege Copenhagen,
and in the next year they went to Portugal,
where so many of our regiments won
eternal glory. The West Kents. then the
5Oth of the Line, was one of these. At
Vimiera they broke a strong French
column, and at Corunna they did their
share in saving the day.
The West Kents were in the Crimean
War from the start. They fought at the
Alma and at Inkerman, and led the assault
on the Redan, and then went across the
sea to put down the Mutiny in India.
Like the Royal Irish, they fought against
the Maoris of New Zealand in 1864. and
in 1882 they served in the Egyptian War.
They went down the Nile to the relief of
Gordon, were on the Indian Frontier in
1897 and 1898, arid then in South Africa
fighting the Boers.
2099
'To, not the King, 'tis not the Parliament,
Not even lite battalions in the field
Tkat shall compel the enemy to yield.
But YOU yourself, YOU, strenuously bent,
Mind, body, soul, estate and substance spent,
Till vivid Honour sheathes the sword we wield —
Our Empire's only and immortal shield
Is England's sons in federation blent.
Then, brother, take my hand — peasant or peer,
We stand in brotherhood for something dear :
The holy hearth — God keep our homes from wrong 1
The death of Despots, and the birth ere long
Of Freedom's heir — man's liberties bursting clear
From blood and tears, imperishably strong I
— J. GII.RART-DENHAM.
Canada
on
Western
Honour to the Brave. — A Canadian lance-corporal being decorated with the Distinguished Conduct Medal on the British
western front. (Official photograph issued by the Press Bureau.)
2100
Canadians Adopt the Shrapnel-Proof Casque
German shell bursting in the Canadian
trenches on the British western front.
(Official photograph issued by the Press
Bureau.)
Canadian infantry in the trenches ready to repel an attack. Inset: A French chateau close to the Canadian lines which
wrecked by German shell fire. (Official photographs issr ^d by the Press Bureau.)
2101
Bayonets, Bombs, and Bullseyes in Flanders
nfantry learning to advance through a covering cloud made by
specially thrown smoke-producing bombs.
Bombing down a trench, an essential part of the bombardier's Men of the Canadian Scottish pay a visit to the trench cook to
perilous work. receive their portion of soup.
Canadian sniper at work on the western front — one who brought his knowledge of game hunting in the Far West to the greater
work of beating the enemy on the plains of Flanders. (Canadian Government copyright reserved.)
2102
Hunting for Rats on the Western Front
Official photograph of Canadian soldiers hunting for rats in a French wood. These pests were so numerous at the front
that the fighting men were never more happy than when they had put some of them " hors de combat."
Canadian infantry officially photographed in a French wood which swarmed with rats.
2103
Maple Leaf For Ever! Canadians Crater Battfe
Canada played a splendid part in the crater conflict at St. Eloi,
south of Ypres, March 27th, 1916. Almost on the anniversary
of their magnificent hero sm at the beginning of the Second Battle
of Ypres, Canadian troops experienced another hour of test at
the craters that were once the German lines. Two hundred
trench-mortars fell round onecrater in two hours! The position
revealed one of the most terrible aspects of the war. Time after
time the Germans attacked ; time after time, amid the appalling
crashes of the bursting shells, they were repulsed by the
Canadians after many fierce hand-to-hand conflicts.
9104
Canadians Carry Trenches in Counter-Attack
After a terrific bombardment, in which they poured every
<ind of explosive on a front of 3,000 yards, eight battalions of
Germans won temporary possession of some trenches held by
the Canadians near Hooge. Next morning, in full daylight, the
angry Canadians made a heroic counter-attack. They advanced
m a run, cheering wildly, and attacking in assaulting parties at
various points of the line, quickly retook the trenches and then
bombed their way right and left, clearing the trenches and
getting into touch with each ether at various bombing posts. It
was grim work, and the enemy received terrific punishment.
Inset: Ut.-Col. H. C. Buller, D.S.O., Rifle Brigade, commanding
Princess Patricia's Canadian L.I., killed June 3rd, 1916.
210S
The Final Effort of a Brave Canadian
A thrilling incident occurred which ia all the more inspiring
because it was the deed of a nameless Canadian officer. He
was in command of a remnant of men, moat of whom were
wounded and dazed. The officer ordered them to retire, and
when they hesitated compelled them to go back. The last that
was seen of him was a tnll, vigorous figure emptying his
revolver at the advancing Germans. When the last shot had sped
he flung the weapon at the enemy and leapt after it himself*
2106
The Great Dominion Ready for Emergencies
Though Canada sent so many of her best soldiers to fight in Flanders, the Dominion did not leave itself unready in the
event of emergency. This photograph shows a number of the 7th Brigade Canadian Militia and Home Quards at manoeuvres.
Canadian Home Service men learnt the art of modern warfare to defend the Dominion if it should become necessary
at any time. In this illustration the 58th West mount Rifles are shown in training and advancing " under fire."
Mounted Canadian patrol, composed of men of the 13th Scottish Light Dragoons, on the manoauvre field. The way in
which Canadians responded to the call of the Motherland was one of the greatest challenges to German ambition.
2107
O England, loud and louder
Thy martial music rolls.
And prouder and yet prouder
Are we of British souls!
For England is not sleeping
While other nations rise —
Her Flag she's proudly keeping
Beneath a thousand skies.
A song, a song -of England,
A song of happy cheer,
For Hope is still in England,
And all the heart holds dear ;
And Englishmen are ready
To follow and pursue
The foes of dear old England,
As England used to dot
— FRED G. BOWLES
in
War Time
Ware aircraft!" — British yeomanry scouting in a wood at homn.
2108
2109
Lord French Reviews Britain's National Reserve
On June 17th, 191 6, Lord French inspected ten thousand
members off the National Volunteer Reserve in Hyde Park.
Following upon official recognition, this corps became
available for special branches of service, thereby relieving
younger men for work abroad. Lord French is seen in the
photographs with General Sir Moore O'Creagh. In the
course of a touching, soldier-like address, Lord French
said: " I assure you I found it difficult in France to find
voice to talk to Territoral battalions coming out of tha
trenches with the loss of half their numbers."
2110
Rebuilding Ruined Lives
How the Future of Britain's
Blinded Heroes Was Assured
By LADY JELLICOE
B1
Lady Jellicoe
(LIXDED in the war! Yester-
day free, capable, fearless ;
to-day shackled, a prisoner
doomed to live his remaining years
in darkness, apparently with hopes,
ambitions, crushed ; a seemingly
ruined life groping in a world of
wreckage. •
Many soldiers and sailors who
have lost their sight in the war
must have asked themselves, in the
first awful shock of their pitiless
captivity, in the obvious hopeless-
ness of their lot in the black
prison of the world, if the final
rending pang of death would not have been preferable.
But soon they have found release ; their bonds unloosed,
they have been helped to erect on a new foundation their
shattered aspirations. From the prison of dismal gloom
they are led to the " House of Hope."
The "House o! Hope"
This is the admirable name that has been given to St.
Dunstan's, Regent's Park, London, the hostel of the
Blinded Soldiers' and Sailors' Care Committee. Im-
mediately on the outbreak of the war the Council of the
National Institute for the Blind decided to do everything
within their power (or those who should lose their sight
while on active service. The president of the Institute,
Mr. C. Arthur Pearson, whose tireless activities on behalf
of his fellow-sufferers from blindness are so widely known,
established headquarters where these brave fellows would
be received and trained to their new condition of life ;
where they would, in fact, be taught to be blind.
St. Dunstan's is a magnificent mansion, standing in
fourteen acres of ground, generously lent for the purpose
by Mr. Otto Kahn, the American financier. Here each
blinded soldier devotes two and a half hours a day to
Braille reading and writing, and to learning to manipulate
the ordinary typewriter ; another two hours and a half
are spent in learning the various occupations which, on
their discharge, will enable the men to earn the wherewithal
to augment their pensions.
Those engaged in the blinded warriors' training feel very
strongly, however, that their responsibilities should not end
at this stage, for the blind home-worker has but a small
chance of becoming a useful, self-supporting member of the
community if left to himself. Therefore, the Council of
the National Institute for the Blind have established a
branch for the after-care of Britain's sightless heroes.
To those who know little of the capabilities of blind
people, or of their training, the trades and occupations
whose ranks are open to them seem perfectly amazing
in their variety. For instance, who would conceive that a
blind man can. unaided, manage a small holding, or a
poultry farm, and earn a good profit ? Who has ever
imagined a blind diver ?
In the specially-built workshops at St. Dunstan's, under
the charge of Mr. C. E. Rose, the honorary director,
blinded warriors are learning to make mats, carpets,
baskets, boots ; they are being instructed in carpentry,
cabinet-making, and other useful and profitable occupa-
tions, while many are learning massage at the special
massage school of the National Institute for the Blind.
Mr. Pearson attributes much of the rapid progress of the
blind learners to the fact that their instructors are them
selves blind. The feeling of helplessness and incompetence,
(lie invariable outcome of sudden blindness, is almost en-
tirely removed by the tuition given by sightless instructors.
The pupil realises that the teacher is utilising methods
wtiich he himself has f jund best under precisely the same
circumstances of disability ; he therefore has obvious
reasons for feeling that what this man has done, he himself
can also do.
Massage is one of the very few occupations in which blind
people can compete on even terms with those who can see.
Indeed, it is said that the skilled blind masseur is apt to
take the lead. Several blinded soldiers and sailors are
already massaging wounded soldiers at Middlesex Hospital.
Though they have not yet passed their qualifying ex-
amination, this they will do shortly, and will then be
full-fledged and competent masseurs.
Diving is considered by Mr. Pearson to be an extremely
suitable occupation for blinded soldiers and sailors who
have had some mechanical training. The diver engaged on
building breakwaters or piers works in the dark ; he has an
attendant to look after him while he is under the water,
and he is one of the best paid of workmen.
To the visitor at St. Dunstan's undoubtedly the most
surprising feature of this " House of Hope " is the Country
Life Section, where sightless men receive instruction in all
branches of poultry-f arming and market-gardening. There
are many simple, yet strikingly ingenious, devices and plans
which enable the blind men to pursue these avocations with,
accuracy and ease. This Country Life Section is super-
vised by Captain Webber, one of the best-known blind
experts in the kingdom, who lost his sight in India fifteen
years ago. Before he became blind Captain Webber could
not have distinguished one sort of fowl from another ;
now, although sightless, he can pick chickens out of a group
and tell their breed by touch, if they are in good con-
dition, or if anything is the matter with them. Captain
Webber is the official lecturer on poultry-farming for
three counties.
Sightless Heroes as Farmers
in the grounds of St. Dunstan's there is a model farm, so
cleverly devised that a blind man can find his way about
and do all the work of the farm unaided. Briefly, this is
the method : The fowl-houses are in the centre of a square
plot of land — the working area of the model farm. From
each corner of this plot is a wire partition, thus dividing
the land into four semi-triangular plots. The chickens
are placed in the first plot, then, after a certain time, they
are driven through the door in the wire partition to Plot 2,
while Plot i is dug up and planted by the blind farmer,
and so on, through a specified system of utilising every
inch of the ground at different seasons of the year.
This wonderful system of market-gardening and poultry-
farming for blind men is very difficult to explain ; one really
needs to see the model farm at St. Dunstan's thoroughly
to appreciate the cleverness yet simplicity of the scheme.
Sports and entertainments play a large part in the
curriculum at St. Dunstan's, nor are the intellectual and
spiritual sides of life neglected. As to sports, there are
facilities for boxing, rowing, swimming, and there is a fine
gymnasium. Several men have learnt to swim since losing
their sight. Recently a crew of blinded oarsmen won a
race against a " crack " Thames crew. They are also
learning to dance, these heroes- of the war.
Thousands of pounds have been spent in caring for
sightless soldiers and sailors, and their sadly-increasing
numbers lead to an ever-increasing rate of expenditure.
But those indefatigable workers, who are giving freely their
services, and doing so much on behalf of the men who have
made so great a sacrifice for the Empire, will surely never
be allowed to have their efforts hampered through need of
funds. The " House of Hope " must flourish, for it is
providing renewed hope, fresh ambitions, new ideals ; it is
rebuilding ruined lives, caring for those who have received
Fate's cruellest blow and have been banished for ever from
our world of light and beauty.
2111
The First Wounded Heroes from the Somme
After the hazard of war. Two soldiers wound.d in the In a London ward. Three of th. first arrivals in Lon
Somm. advanc. play.ng drauahts at th. hospital. aft.r the forward movement.
The smile of a hero. Type of British Telling the story of the victory. Soldier recently wounded conversing
soldier wounded in the great push. with a convalescent comrade in the same hospital.
Qeneral view of a hospital ward. The new arrival.* recount More wounded heroes of the Somme battles and a hospital
their adventures to the older inmates. nurse attending to the needs of the soldier patients
2112
Ceaseless Endeavour at Home for Victory Abroad
a good cause. Army motor inspector undergoes a
r-bath while watching the trials of certain types
f cars before being sent on service in France.
Their first march out in the Old Country. New Zealanders off for a route march under Captain Price, acting adjutant. Inset : Members
of the Birmingham Electrical Volunteers who were engaged in coast defence work for the Admiralty. The corps was raised by
Mr. W. E. Milne, and consisted of men ineligible for regular military service.
2113
Haunts of Peace After the Nightmare of War
is and Marchioness of Bath converted Longleat
hospital, and many wounded soldiers foujid rest
and healing amid its lovely peace.
, homes of England that still stand beautiful because no Huns
gd our land. It was lust that it should be opened to men who had helped to keep It inviolate. Left: On the terrace.
Right: By the waterfall. y c
2114
Thrills for the Neophyte at a Riding School
Disconcerting trick of a mule at the remount school somewhere
England. This mule is doing its best to get rid of its rider.
Frisky horse which pranced perilously, much to
the consternation of one unused to the saddle.
The mule unseats the recruit, An everyday occurrence at the riding
school.
Bringing pressure to bear on an obstinate mount. Five members of the riding school roping
more than the ordinary amount of trouble during a lesson.
a mule which gave
2115
Off to France and Back to the Home Country
Bill ^y I I ~M '^m • «« ««• •*
Russian soldiers at a London hospital aft*
escape from a Gorman prison. Right: Con
valescent Tommies greeting the Russians
Back to " Blighty " ! Officers and men eagerly crowding round the gangway leading to a " leave " boat that is to take
them lor a few days' rest in Britain. " Blighty" is the soldiers' nickname for England.
21J6
Womanhood the Great Reserve Behind the Lines
Instruction In shell-making. L.C.C. teachers training men in the later Derby groups and women in the technical details of the
lathe, etc. Many hundreds of women became efficient shell-makers through these special classes.
Women 'bus-conductors who, having completed their training,
were employed in taking fares on the " General."
Women workers who volunteered for the land, and were entered
on the local roll of honour set up in Norfolk villages.
Emporium in Paris, where women were employed in making sacks for use in defences along the French lines. When the sacks
were completed they were sent to the trenches, and filled with mould, making one of the strongest barricades ever devised.
__ 2117
Women Work with a Will while Men make War
" Women abundantly justified their employment in the naval
them
beginning of the war women proved their ability to carry through heavy work which most people thought
would be beyond their strength. Wearing dungarees and masculine blouses, in which they still contrived to look
charmingly feminine, they handled and shifted heavy bars of steel with workmanlike dexterity.
2113
The First and Last of the Dublin Revolt:
Sir John Maxwell, who was
despatched to Ireland with
plenary powers to overcome
the insurgents.
James Connolly, leader of the
Sinn Feiners, who was taken
prisoner by the Government
troops.
Countess Markievltz, a prominent woman worker in the Dublin revolt,
enrolling volunteers. She was arrested with other leaders.
Casement, renegade, and erst- Professor John MacNeill, Vice-
while British Consul, who President of the Gaelic League,
was arrested in an attempt and the chief instigator of the
to land arms near Tralee. Irish Volunteers' movement.
(~\N the night of April 2ist, 1916, an attempt
was made to land arms and ammunition on
Currahane Strand; but these were seized, and
a stranger of unknown nationality was arrested.
The stranger turned out to be Sir Roger
Casement.
As a sequel to this sensation, serious disturb-
ances broke out in Dublin, which soon spread
to alarming proportions. Backed by a modi-
cum of German gold (and German promises),
several hundred Sinn Feiners attempted to seize
the city by armed force, wreaking great damage
to private property, and killing a number of
citizens, including women and children. The
rebellion was captained by James Connolly, and
supported by one or two personalities of a
revolutionary temperament.
Thanks, however, to prompt action on the
part of the military authorities, the revolt was
stamped out within a week — though, unfor-
tunately, not before several British officers and
a proportion of men were killed and wounded.
Over a thousand insurgents were taken prisoners.
Some of the captured Sinn Feiners being escorted into confinement somewhere in England under a British guard.
489 rebels out of 1,000 Irish captives had reached England by May 2nd, 1916.
As many as
2119
Scenes in the Track of the Sinn Feiners
View of Sackville Street, in which the Post Office
is situated, taken before the rebellion broke out.
Not somewhere in France or Flanders, but the ruins of Sackville Street,
Dublin, being guarded by the military.
Keeping a sharp look— out for rebel snipers who were barricaded Road barricade in the South Dublin area and a machine-gun
in a house on the other side of the garden. ready for the insurgents.
A civilian had to show his papers before being allowed to pass through Looted! The fate of a florist's establishment in
the barricade. Oration Street
2120
Princely and Ducal Service in Britain's Cause
His Grace of Montrose, Lord High Commissioner, with Major
Robertson, V.C., inspecting the guard of honour of Royal Scots Cadets
at the opening of the General Assembly at Holyrood, May, 1916.
Eton College O.T.C. manoeuvres in Windsor Great Park. Making an
advance on the enemy: H.R.H. Prince Henry well to the front.
,H. Prince Henry, third son of King George V., in uniform. Right: H.R.H. in the firing-line in his father's own park.
Prince of Wales, a keen soldier actually at the front, was the object of his brother's envious and affectionate admiration.
2121
THE WARK1USTRATED • GALLERYop LEADERS
r
!
I
f
> ^
^
\
THE RT. HON. VISCOUNT GREY OF FALLODON, K.G.
Secretary of Slate for Foreign Affairs since 1905
2122
PERSONALIA OF
THE GREAT WAR
THE RT. HON. VISCOUNT GREY, K.G.
rT"'HERE have been Greys of Northumberland for over
five hundred years. One was Warden of the Scot-
tish Marches. Another won an earldom in the
French wars of Henry V. A third left the impress of his
valour on the records of Minden and Quebec. Yet a fourth
— the second earl — is remembered as the Minister who
placed the Reform Bill of 1832 on the Statute Book.
The younger brother of the last-named peer, Captain
the Honourable Sir George Grey, K.C.B., R.N., was created
a baronet in 1814, and thus was founded the cadet branch
of the Grey family, of which the Foreign Secretary in
Mr. Asquith's Cabinet is the head.
His First Appearance in Public
The Right Honourable Viscount Grey, K.G., P.C. — better
known as Sir Edward Grey — was born on April 25th, 1862.
His father was Lieut. -Colonel George Henry Grey, only son
of the second baronet, an officer in the Grenadier Guards and
an Equerry to King Edward VII. when Prince of Wales. His
mother was Harriet Jane, youngest daughter of Lieut. -Colonel
Pearson. His father dying in 1874, when he was only twelve
years old, Edward Grey found a home at Fallodon long
before he inherited the estate, and his grandfather, the Right
Honourable Sir George Grey, G.C.B., and Dr. Mandell Creigh-
ton, then Vicar of Fallodon and afterwards Bishop of London,
had great personal influence in the shaping of his future.
Educated at Winchester and at Balliol College, Oxford,
when Benjamin Jowett was master, Edward Grey succeeded
to the baronetcy in 1882. His first appearance on a politi-
cal platform was at Alnwick, in July, 1884, when he pre-
sided at a meeting of protest against the action of the
House of Lords in throwing out the Franchise Bill. He
gained his first practical insight into administrative work
as private secretary to Sir Evelyn Baring (Lord Cromer),
at a Conference on Egyptian Finance. He acted for a time
in a similar capacity to the Right Honourable Hugh Childers
when this statesman was Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Over Thirty Years M.P. for Berwick
The year 1885 was a memorable one in the young Squire
of Fallodon's career. In March he married Dorothy,
daughter of Captain Shallcross F. J. Widdrington, 3rd
Light Dragoons, of Newton Hall, Felton, Northumberland,
who died in 1906. In December, 1885, the Radical Reform
Bill having become law, Sir Edward contested Berwick in
the Liberal interest and, in a constituency of 9,641, defeated
the Conservative candidate, Earl Percy (later the seventh
Duke of Northumberland), by 4,729 votes against 3,316.
From that day he has slowly but steadily mounted the
ladder of success so appositely suggested by the " scaling
ladder argent" in his crest, his family motto of " De bon
vouloir servir le Roy," and the primary injunction of his old
school adage, "Aut disce aut discede, manet sors tertia
— caedi." He represented Berwick till his elevation to the
peerage in July, 1916.
Scorning delights save such out-of-door pastimes as tennis,
angling, and gardening, his favourite books Izaak Walton's
" Compleat Angler," " White's Natural History of Selborne,"
Charles Kingsley's "Chalk Stream Studies," the poems of
Wordsworth, and the satirical " novels " of Thomas Love
Peacock, Sir Edward Grey lived laborious days of prepara-
tion for what was to prove his life-work. Then, after seven
years in the House of Commons as a private member. Mr.
Gladstone gave him office as Under-Secretary for Foreign
Affairs, in August, 1892; he retained the post till June, 1895.
In 1896 he was a member of the British West Indies
Commission. In 1902 he was called to the Privy Council.
Appointment as Foreign Secretary
When the Liberals returned to power in December,
1905, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman selected Sir Edward
Grey as his Foreign Secretary. In taking up the seals of office
he inherited the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and the Entente
with France, which he has so faithfully ensued, and to which
he added the cultivation of improved relations with Russia
and Italy. The story of his efforts to preserve European peace
during the Balkan Wars and in the fateful weeks preceding
the hour in which Germany threw off the mask and made
her insulting offer to Great Britain, is one of the most
dramatic and stirring in the annals of British diplomacy.
None who heard them will ever forget the Foreign
Secretary's words in the House of Commons on August 3rd,
1914, when all his efforts for peace seemed to have crumbled
toatoms: " This is the saddest day of my life." In February,
1912, the King appointed Sir Edward Grey to the Order
of the Garter ; and in July, 1916, desired to make
him an earl. With His Majesty s permission, however,
and for personal and family reasons. Sir Edward went
to the Upper House as a Viscount of the United Kingdom,
with the title of Viscount Grey of Fallodon.
Viscount Grey is the first Foreign Secretary since
Palmerston who has sat as such in the House of Commons.
Of the traditions of that House he has been one of the chief
supports. And yet, to the Commons as to the country
at large, he has stood apparently aloof.
"Neither Black Nor White— Just Grey"
A favourite comparison in illustration of this seeming
aloofness is that of the lofty memorial column to the
second Earl Grey which is so conspicuous a feature of
Grey Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne, a column so tall that
to the passers-by at its base the features of the hero of the
first Reform Bill can only with difficulty be discerned.
In this connection may be cited a saying attributed to
Sir George Trevelyan, " The Germans think he is as black
as the devil ; his friends, many of them, believe him to be as
white as an angel. In fact, he is neither — he is just Grey."
To all save his intimates he is as cold and austere as the
physical features of his native Northumberland. But he is as
devoid of prejudice as of passion. No one could be less guilty
of any suspicion of pose or affectation. None could entertain
a deeper horror of being misunderstood. His speeches are
absolutely destitute of any " flowers." Journalists have
looked to them for " effective headlines," and once only, when
he denounced any plan for dealing with the House of Lords
without at the same time organising a new Second Chamber as
"death, damnation, and disaster," have they been successful.
A Personal impression
His tall, slim and youthful figure, his clearly chiselled
features, aquiline nose, cold, limpid voice, delicate lips,
which seldom enlarge to a smile, absence of gesture and
calm, cold blue eyes have impressed the members of the
House of Commons almost as much as if they had seen on
the Government side a toga-clad Roman senator before
them. When opportunity has offered he has been glad
to seek the ancestral Hall at Fallodon, and in the garden
tend his rose-trees, or ply the rod from the banks of some
favourite trout stream, or, again, seek the simple life in
that tiny cottage in the New Forest, where he " does
everything for himself." His intimate friends are devoted
to him, his tenants on his small estate regard him as an
ideal landlord, and his record as a worker is sufficient answer
to those who have complained of his brief attendances
in the Lower House at Westminster. His Liberalism is
of the Liberal-Imperial kind, and he joined Lord Fisher in
opposing a reduction of the Naval estimates.
There is a tradition that any person entering the Church
of Sainte-Clotildc, in Paris, for the first time has only to
place a candle there and formulate a wish to have the
wish fulfilled. Sir Edward Grey, hearing of this during a
brief sojourn in the French capital in 1914, visited the
church, formulated his wish, wrote it down and placed
it in an envelope inscribed, " To be opened after my death,
to verify the results of the wish which I made at Sainte-
Clotilde de Paris, April 23rd, 1914."
A Link With Shakespeare
Like Shakespeare, Viscount Grey is said to have been once
arrested on a charge of poaching, though his quarry was not
Warwickshire deer, but Devonshire trout. Whatever
truth there may be in the legend it at least recalls his remark
to his friendly rival and neighbour at the close of the
1885 election, "And now.it you don't mind, we'll go off for a
day's fishing." He is a J. P. and D.L. for Northumberland,
a freeman of Berwick, and a trustee of the British Museum.
2123
Hushed is the shriek of hurtling shells : and, hark I
Somewhere within that bit of deep blue shy.
Grand in his loneliness, his ecstasy,
His lyric wild and free, carols a lark.
I in the trench, he lost in heaven afar;
I dream of love, its ecstasy he sings ;
Both lure my soul to love till, like a star.
It flashes into life : O tireless wings
That beat love's message into melody —
A song that touches in this place remote
Gladness supreme in its undying note,
And stirs to life the soul of memory —
'Tis strange that while you're beating into life
Men here below are plunged in sanguine strife.
— CORPORAL JOHN WILLIAM STREETS,
I2lh Service Batt., Yorkshire and Lancashire Regiment
Peril of the supply waggon : Army Servioa Corps under fire.
2124
Romance of Rail- Power in the War
How the Issues of Great Events
Hinged upon Control of the Iron Roads
By EDWIN A. PRATT
Author of "The Rise of Rail-Power in War and Conquest"
JF, in the early days of the nineteenth century, when
Napoleon's troops were marching across Europe,
anyone had suggested that the time would come when
armies would be transported, and campaigns more or less
fought, by steam, the reply would probably have been,
" Sir, you are romancing."
To-day the world has become so accustomed to the use
of railways for an almost endless variety of purposes in
the carrying on of warfare that the real nature of the
innovation is not always adequately appreciated. One
fails, as it were, to see the wood because of the trees.
Yet if we seek to gain a view of the situation as a whole,
we shall find that while the application of steam to warfare
is, in itself, no longer a matter of " romancing," there is,
nevertheless, a distinct element of romance in the r61e
that railways are called upon to play in the greatest crisis
by which nations may be visited.
Rail-Power and Mobilisation
If there is danger of invasion by a neighbouring country,
then, on the declaration of war, there must be rushed to the
frontier a sufficient body of troops — " troupes de
couverture," as they are called in France — to prevent
any possible attempt on the part of the enemy to send
across that frontier an advance guard which would seek
to keep a way open for the greater force to follow.
At the same moment the order for mobilisation is issued,
summoning reservists to their headquarters from all parts
of the country ; and this is followed by the concentration
of the troops at or near to the seat of war.
All these things must needs to-day be done by rail, and
urgency in their accomplishment may be a matter of
absolutely vital importance. " In military operations,"
says Captain H. W. Tyler, R.E., in his paper on " Railways
Strategically Considered," " victory is a question of days,
or hours, or sometimes even of minutes in the movement
of troops when the forces are on anything like an equality."
By what means, however, is the guarantee secured that.
whenever an emergency arises, whether suddenly or other-
wise, the railways will be prepared to respond instantly
to the demands of the military authorities, and provide
the trains which are to play the part of the magic carpet
in the fairy-tale, by conveying the troops wherever they may
be wanted, and this without any loss of those days, hours,
or even minutes which may be of such momentous im-
portance ?
War Time-Tables in Peace Time
These results are attained, not by force of a magician's
powers, but as the result of plans and preparations made
years in advance, it may be, by organised bodies of railway-
men and military authorities who, even while the nations
are at perfect — or apparently perfect — peace, are drawing
up their war time-tables and -making every possible pro-
vision in advance for the transport of troops, supplies,
guns, munitions, and all the other needs of an army when-
ever their country may be engaged in war. So perfect
should this machinery be that the pulling of a lever will
set it in motion when the word "mobilisation" is^sent
through the land. \Continwl on patie 2120.
oHamadan
PERSIA
hah
TO ma bad
T R i P o L
•Copyrigh
Network of communications on the outbreak of war, indicating the principal railways of Europe ana Asia Minor, the most
interesting of which is the Berlin-Constantinople-Bagdad line. It will easily be seen that the Central Empires' rail-power
preponderated considerably over that of Russia's.
2125
War Time Pets : More Units of the Mascot Battalion
A certain handyman who is so expert with the needle that Married patriots. Two privates, the total of whose families
he is kept fairly busy repairing his comrades' uniforms. numbered twenty-two, three of whom were on active service.
Sergt. -Major Badcock showing his Mili-
tary Cross to two admiring Scouts.
1 Biddy," a mascot which went through Nurses attending the wounds of their
Heligoland and Dogger Bank fights. mascot, a present from an officer-patient.
Jacko on the barrel. Novel perch of a mascot monkey
with the forces in East Africa.
His " naturalisation papers." Tying the Union Jack round
the neck of a mascot captured from the Germans in East Africa.
2126
THE ROMANCE OF RAIL-POWER
^Continued from
;.«.'/<• 2124.)
dog could trot," and onlookers were heard to declare that De laying fresh lines of light railways to facilitate the
arrival of reinforcements, heavy artillery, munitions, and
so on. When Germany went to war in 1914 she had on
rushed her troops across the interior oi that country
from west to east, or from east to west, in order to carry
It may be suggested that, although these peace-time on simultaneous campaigns at two separate fronts hundreds
preparations are made in each of the leading countries, a of miles apart. But for the railways such movements as
railway is an uncertain means of transport in time of war these would be impracticable. Even as it is, they are
because traffic along it can be so readily dislocated by the suggestive of Jules Verne fiction rather than of sober
blowing up of a bridge or the tearing up of some rails ; reality.
but here, also, preparations are made to provide for all Nor, when they go to war, do nations depend exclusively
emergencies. In the American Civil War a foreman in on railways already constructed. Even while desperate
charge of a Federal construction party claimed to be able conflicts are in progress, the railway construction corps
to rebuild a railway bridge (timber) " about as fast as a immediately in the rear of the troops engaged therein may
dog could trot," and onlookers were heard to declare that
" the Yankees can build bridges quicker than the ' Rebs ' can
burn them down." Since those days all the chief countries
of Europe, at least, have organised their permanent corps hand great accumulations of material for these military
of engineer troops, who are trained in everything connected railways, lengths of rails being already fastened to sleepers
with the building, repair, destruction, or working of so that the complete sections, conveyed on trucks and laid
railways in war-time, provision also being made for their along ordinary roads, required only to be connected one
being supplemented, as necessary, by bodies of railwaymen. with another in order to offer all the advantages of a
Is there not, also, an element of romance in the distances light railway, or a tramway, the motive power being
provided either by horses or by diminutive locomotives
also brought on trucks by the ordinary railways.
Similar lines are often laid for the conveyance of guns,
munitions, or stores along the trenches or to some
fortified place subject to attack by the enemy.
In addition to the transport of men and material,
railways may also be used for effecting tactical move-
ments at the seat of war itself. In the early part of
the western campaign some remarkable achievements
in this direction were accomplished on the French
railways when it became a question of checking the
threatened advance of the Germans on Paris.
Railways may also form an actual part of the
fighting machine by being employed for the running
of armoured trains. These, under favourable con-
ditions, may render valuable service in the way either
of defence or of attack. When the Turks made their
attempt on the Suez Canal in the winter of 1914-15,
armoured trucks run on the line of railway con-
structed along the whole length of the canal on the
Egyptian side were further provided with powerful
searchlights, which revealed the position of the enemy,
and allowed of the guns being directed upon him
with good effect by night as well as by day.
Ensuring Rapid Pood Transport
Thanks to the combination of railways and road
motor-waggons, the troops of the Allies in the western
theatre of war were the best-fed army on record ; and
this good feeding was of vast importance in helping to
keep them generally fit and well under their especially
trying conditions of trench warfare. With the excellent
means of transport available by land and sea, their
base for food and other supplies extended to the whole
of France, the United Kingdom, Australasia, and other
parts of the British Empire, as well as certain neutral
countries.
It was the railways that allowed of enormous masses
of postal matter, and especially of parcels containing
woollen comforts, extra food supplies, and other
luxuries, reaching the men in the fighting-lines. It
was rail, no less than sea, transport that enabled our
gallant warriors, when they could get away on leave, to
pay hurried visits to relatives and friends at home.
It was the railways, also, that provided ambulance
trains offering all the comforts and advantages of
Main arteries of war. This map shows the railway systems of the
Allies and Germany. The two distinct lines on each side of the Rhine
helped greatly in the rapid mobilisation of the German armies.
from the base ot supplies at which, thanks to railways,
campaigns can now be fought ? The greatest undertaking
in this direction was the war that Russia waged against
Japan in 1904-5. From Moscow, for instance, to Port
Arthur was a journey of 5,300 miles, a line of single-track
railway being Russia's only means of conveyance for the
transport of troops and all their necessaries to the Far
East. In the Boer War of 1899-1902 the British troops
arriving at Cape Town were still 1,040 miles from their
ultimate objective, Pretoria, and were dependent for
getting there mainly on single-track railways, while the
lines of communication were repeatedly broken by the
enemy
well-equipped field hospitals on wheels, and permitting (in
conjunction with road motor-ambulances and steamships) of
such speedy transport that in some instances the wounded
men found themselves in bed in a hospital in England
within twenty-four hours of their having been disabled on
the battlefields of Flanders or Northern France.
The war, with all its horrors, is so close upon us, and
offered such a succession of fresh details from day to day,
that the sense of perspective was more or less lost, and the
full extent and nature of the work railways accomplished
is not, perhaps, always adequately realised. But may not
one say that in the story of the role played by railways
in the greatest war on record the element of romance is
In the case of the Great War we find a further element no less conspicuous than it is in every other branch of
of romance in the wav in which Germany repeatedly mechanical evolution and achievement.
2127
Fresh Air and Liberty After Heat of Conflict
Sunshine for war-worn heroes. A view of the open ward
at the Southern General Hospital, Edgbaston.
Some of the British wounded consigned to Chateau D'Oex, Switzerland, from Germany. Left: Lieut. Henderson, Capt. Irwin,
Capt. Joliffe, Lieut. -Col. Christopher, A.8.C., imprisoned together at Osnabruck. Right (front row): Capt. Henderson,
Col. Maxwell Earls, D.S.O. ; (behind) Lieut. Dodson, Major Birley. These were together for eighteen months in a German prison.
2128
Women of the Allied Nations on War Work
The most strenuous of all toil. Woman stoker working at a furnace in one of
the large factories in South London.
Girl workers in a Nottingham mill attending
to the machinery.
Woman worker at a lathe in a French munition factory. Thus
the women of France did their best for the great cause.
Girl military tailor at work in a French uniform depository.
In France women replaced men in every trade.
" HEAVE-TO ! " A BRITISH PATROL BOAT STOPPING A SUSPECT VESSEL.
The work of patrolling the trade routes across the high seas was carried out by our Navy by day and night. A powerful searchlight has
illumined an unknown vessel, and the gun of the patrol boat has just fired across the bow of the suspicious-looking craft as a signal to heave-to.
To /ace j*ige ytZ8 '
2129
Some Quaint Extremes in War -Time Transport
Fwo of the portable searchlights which proved particularly valuable during the constant night attacks on the Verdun
sector. Part of the intricate mechanism that works the searchlight Is shown In the photograph on the right.
Tractor with the Salonika army striking a rough part of the road. (Official photograph. Crown copyright reserved.) Right : Italians
carrying a wounded man along a narrow track over the Dolomites, where the transport of wounded presented unusual difficulties.
A woman scavenger and (right) women " dustmen " in the streets of Berlin. Some ladies expelled from the German capital
stated that the streets of Berlin were very dirty, and that women were doing scavenging, coal-carting, and other very rough work.
z 5
2130
To Uphold Freedom's Cause : Portugal in Arms
Picket of Portuguese infantrymen in the Place de Pedro, Lisbon. Right : A soldier of Portugal in service kit
dun practice aboard a Portuguese gunboat. Left : Type of Portuguese
artilleryman. Portugal joined the Allies March 10, 1916.
Inspection of Portuguese sailors. It was in May, 1663, when the marriage between Charles II. of England and Catherine of
Braganza was celebrated, that Great Britain took the place of France as the active ally of Portugal. In February, 1809, a
British officer, Major-General William Carr Beresford, was given command of the Portuguese Army.
2131
Live Stock to Feed Soldiers and Refugees
In Ihe incessant fighting fop Verdun many
lines, and afforded excellent hunting.
litter before them. Most of the
_ -- *n« Army into Albania embarked at
Ourazzo, and went Into temporary exile.
German soldiers driving a herd of swine before them to be converted into " delicatessen.
2132
Allied and Enemy Prisoners in Two Continents
A group of German prisoners taken by the French
during one of the attacks in the Verdun Battle.
British soldiers as prisoners of war at Angora, in Asiatic Turkey. Despite their captivity they appear remarkably
cheerful, in striking contrast to the Huns above. Inset: British, French, and Belgian prisoners in Germany with their
guards. This photograph was sent from there by a British soldier to his wife.
'2133
Minor Incidents Pictured in Many War Centres
Novel aerial railway used by our Italian ally In her Alpine campaign to convey
troops from height to height. Right : The pig wae saved by the men of H.M.S.
Glasgow from the German cruiser Dresden and made a pet of by the crew.
The mascot dog of a regiment at the front listening attentively to a recruit-
Ing appeal on the gramophone. Inset: A sixteen-year-old Russian trumpeter
who escaped from captivity in the German lines and Joined the French.
British R.A.M.C. officer gives free treat-
ment to a peasant woman in Macedonia.
Hairdresser operating on an Austrian officer in a Macedonian village. While the
juvenile crowd looks quite interested, the barber IS by no means happy in his task.
2134
With Friend and Foe Ashore and Afloat
Sniper, concealed in a mine crater, firing with a special rifle-sight on the French front. Right : Baby donkey and bulldog,
mascots of the New Zealanders in camp in Egypt.
Disappointing sight for the German prisoner! A captured Hun being shown a huge German shell that was flred into the French
lines, but failed to explode. Right : Primitive river craft, built of hollow reeds, used by natives in Mesopotamia.
Swedish drill aboard a British destroyer. Right : Weird " make-up " of officers of a British cruiser scanning the sea for a submarine.
They are wearing life-saving apparatus — belte, collars, and respirators.
2135
Grease-Paint & Property-Box Near the Trenches
" La Premiere Danseuse " at a rest-camp revue, produced,
performed, and stage-managed by Belgian soldiers. The
skirt of " Mile," the star dancer, was made from straw.
" A Greek Pedlar " — Private A. Skinner. One of the diverse characters
in " Dick Whittington," written by Private F. Kenchington, R. A.M. C.,
and performed by men of the Field Ambulance at Salonika.
Pwo beaux to " her " string ! " Alice" at the camp near Salonika, A Balkan Idyll ! " Alice" and the author tete-a-tete among the
where " Dick Whittington " delighted twenty thousand men. tents after a performance ! Corporal E. J. Dillon as " Alice."
2136
The World-Wide War by Camp, Sea & Waterway
The lat man of Mesopotamia— an item
In the lighter side of the campaign.
" Who goes there ? " British sentry examin-
ing the pass of a native at the camp near Cairo.
Two jolly divers. Impromptu fun
aboard a patrol ship.
Naval petty— officer enjoying a restful cruise in a native boat on the
River Tigris. Right: The latest Qerman war machine. Gigantic
searchlight, on top of which is a machine-gun.
First-aid party aboard a British light cruiser using the " Neil Robertson " stretcher for hoisting an injured man out
of a coal-bunker. Right: French sculptor-soldier modelling the bust of a comrade in a French farmyard.
2137
War-time Autos & Some Shell- Wrecked Derelicts
Truckloads of war-worn motor-cars being sent from the front to the base for repairs. Right : Motor ambulance waggon for
conveying French wounded from the trenches to the hospitals.
"pO say that this was a " war of machinery "
is trite, for it became evident almost as
soon as hostilities began that, in addition to
the usual machines of modern warfare, repre-
sentatives of the machinery of peace — such as
private motor-cars, omnibuses, and cycles —
were to have an important and valuable place
in the operations on the various fields of battle.
In addition, they were required along the
intricate lines of communication, which, in the
strict military sense, stretched over all those
parts of the globe in which the work of the
military authorities was carried out, however re-
motely connected with the actual fighting areas.
Conscription for motor-vehicles and machinery
became law as soon as the war started. It
would be impossible to estimate the vast num-
bers of motor-propelled vehicles which played
their part in the machinery of war. The wastage
in the battalions of motor-cars, motor-omni-
buses, and motor-drawn transport and ambu-
lance waggons was immense. But usually the
wrecked cars were sent back to the various bases,
there to be repaired, or, if too badly broken, to
have as many as possible of their parts used
again.
The half-burnt shell of a motor-'bus that once journeyed the
streets of Paris standing desolate near the first-line.
Railway truck on the quayside at Salonika that was set on fire by the same Zeppelin incendiary bomb that set fire to the Bank
of Salonika. Right : British ambulances driving through a stream near Salonika, taking sick men to a hospital ship.
2138
Picture Stories from the Album of the World-War
Steel helmets compared. Soldier on left
wearing British type. Right: German style
Naval surgeon "sounds" Marine with
huge stethoscope, a birthday gift from
the ship's company.
Lieut. Prince George of Battenberg, R.N.,
snapped after coaling operations on
a famous battle-cruiser.
Lance-Corpora I J. W. Thomas, the
second member of the Durham Light
Infantry to escape from a German
prison camp. He was in captivity over
a year, and was forced by the Huns to
work in the coalmines.
Iron model of Hun submarine mounted on
base formed of British mine, on Island of Sylt.
Capt. J. Macrae, D.S.O., Seaforth
Highlanders. When in command at a
critical moment by his coolness and
energy he saved the situation. He
fell into the hands of the enemy, but
escaped by the use of his fists.
Welcome rest for meal in French trench.
The Poilu is wearing " trench " boots.
German sentry guarding two gigantic
French aerial torpedoes and shells-
French Tommies draw water for little girl
in Argonne village behind the firing-line.
Topsy-Turveydom in Sport and Service
Walking on water, by means of the hydro-ski, an Invention of
an Italian, which has many possibilities.
Sailing on sand : Members of the R.N.A.8. on service in the
Mediterranean islands taking a trip in their sand-yacht.
Recommended for the V.C. by the
Earl of Cavan : Private James
Orundy, Grenadier Guards, who
evinced remarkable courage in re-
pairing telephone wires under fire
and within a few yards of the enemy.
Two members of a Pierrot troupe entertaining
their comrades with a duet at Salonika.
Frank Slavin, the well-known
pugilist, former heavy-weight
champion, although fifty-four, left
Western Columbia to get in his blow
at the enemy. He was a private in
the Canadian Contingent.
The twelve— yeai — old mascot of the Russian
troops in France, with a French officer.
Colt born on the transport conveying refitted Serbian troops from Corfu to
Salonika. A French cavalry leader is caressing the animal.
2UO
Happy Thoughts of Handy Men in Emergency
Picturesque architecture In the trenches on the western front. Novel bomb-proof shelter called " The Tube "
men and " Metro " by the French soldiers. Right : Dinner-gong made out of a shell-casing at Salonika.
ngenious method of laying field telephone wire over rugged hills
adopted by the Signal Corps at Salonika. Left: A prisoner on
the Egyptian western front put to useful work at Morea Matruh.
Native water-cart in use on the Egyptian western front, with an Australian in charge. To European eyes the vehicle
seems ill-proportioned to the height of the draught animal, but the supercilious camel Is proof against criticism.
2141
Switzerland's Kindly Care of British Prisoners
nrr~ . .
Some of the British soldier invalids .released from
durance in Germany marching off to their quarters
at Chateau D'Oex, in neutral Switzerland.
A SCENE of gaiety, not unmixed with tears,
was witnessed on the arrival of the first
batch of British soldier invalids in neutral
Switzerland in May, 1916. The kindly Swiss
populace accorded these representatives of the
warring nations a great welcome; music,
flowers, a liberal supply of refreshment, and —
what they had not known during their long
term of imprisonment — human sympathy.
By international arrangement these wounded
prisoners, all of whom were unfit for further
service, were released by the belligerents, to
be interned in Switzerland until after the war.
The photographs on this page show the arrival
of the invalids. Those well enough to go on
foot paraded the streets of the Swiss town, but
some had to be carried on stietchers.
The beautiful district of the Chateau D'Oex,
where the Franco - British prisoners were
accommodated, - is seen on the right, an
idyllic green upland valley dominated by the
Riiblihorn and the Gummfluh.
Winter impression of the setting of the Chateau D'Oex, where the men
broken In war rested under Swiss care.
Some of the Indian soldiers released from Germany as unfit for
further service. Scene on the arrival at the station In Switzerland.
Still suffering acutely from their wounds, these men
arrived on strstchers which were bedecked with flowers.
2142
Training in the Art of Bomb-Throwing
Lighting the fuse of a catapult-grenade. The ancient catapult wa
much used for projecting bombs.
rifle-grenade at a school for bomb-
throwers in England.
Preliminary to a charge. British soldiers in training make ready to rush a
trench with bayonets and bombs. The illustration above shows a bomb in the
air after it had been released from a catapult.
Practice In the art of grenade-throwing. Two
recruits projecting their deadly missiles.
British soldiers taking cover after having thrown bombs into the enemy trenches.
A valuable lesson in the art of warfare.
2143
aiTHEWARILLUSTRATED-GALLERYop LEADERS J¥
\
s ^
V
S
THE RIGHT HON. WILLIAM MORRIS HUGHES. P.C.
Prime Minister of Australia
2144
PERSONALIA OF
THE GREAT WAR
THE RIGHT HON. W. M. HUGHES
rT"'HERE have been, since the far-away days of Hippo-
damus the Miletan, many dreamers of Utopia.
Of the later men of this type two have come in our
own time from gallant little Wales — David Lloyd George
and William Morris Hughes, both of Carnarvonshire, and
both men of law, as Thomas More and Francis Bacon were.
Of these four, perhaps the Australian Premier, while as
fearless as any in his views, and as drastic as any in sup-
porting his views, has risked most in and gained most by
his uncompromising defence of constitutional as against
syndical or socialistic methods. None certainly has over-
come more appalling obstacles, or gone through fiercer
trials. For any comparison with the romance of his life
and the development of his genius one has to go to
American history and the immortal epic of the " first
American," Abraham Lincoln.
Early Days in Wales and at Westminster
The Right Honourable William Morris Hughes, P.C.,
comes of the old yeoman stock of North Wales, his father
being a native of Anglesey and his mother a native of
Llandudno. He was born on September 25th, 1864, and
after obtaining the rudiments of his education at Llandudno
Grammar School, went in 1874 to the Burdett-Coutts
Foundation School at Westminster, where from 1879 to
1884 he was a pupil teacher, and came under the notice
of Matthew Arnold, an inspector of the school, who presented
him with a copy of Shakespeare's works, and gave him
some helpful advice on reading.
Walks by the Thames to London Bridge and occasionally
to Tilbury, and the sight of great ships arriving from and
departing to the outlands of Empire, fired his ambition to
try his fortune somewhere beyond the seas. First of all
he thought of Mexico. Then a chance meeting on London
Bridge with the son of a trawler tender's captain determined
his choice of Australia, whither he sailed in 1884, when,
his passage money being paid and a simple outfit provided,
he was left with only a few shillings in his pocket.
Fortune's Bullet s in Queensland and New South Wales
Landing at Brisbane in November, 1884, and finding
that the utmost he could earn as schoolmaster was ^75 a
year, he went " up country," where a hundred miles is
as a stone's throw and " neighbours " are six leagues
apart, and before he settled in Sydney, -in 1890, fared
vicariously in the bush and among the mountains, as well
as in the lesser townships of Queensland and New South
Wales, winning a bare livelihood as drover, shearer,
boundary rider, cook, and factory hand by turns. For a
time he served in the mercantile marine. Though his body
often went unnourished, he contrived to keep his mental
powers active. He studied Adam Smith and John Stuart
Mill, and drew solace and encouragement from his know-
ledge of Elizabethan literature. He began also to dream
dreams of that Federated Australia which was to become
his ideal Commonwealth.
Four years after he had settled in Sydney, where he
contributed articles on labour problems, social questions
and literary topics to the " Sydney Daily Telegraph," he
was elected Member for the Lang Division in the New
South Wales Parliament. He was now the rising hope
of Labour, though it was only by degrees that he won the
confidence of men who would, unguided, have sought to gain
their ends by the double-edged weapon of the strike. " That
is not liberty, but licence," he said, " which is only to be
enjoyed at the expense of the denial of freedom to others."
In the Sunshine of Success
When the dream of Australian Federation was realised
he entered the Federal Parliament as a Labour representa-
tive for West .Sydney. In 1903 he was called to the
Australian Bar. A year later, when Mr. J. C. Watson formed
the first Australian Labour Administration, Mr. Hughes was
given the portfolio of Minister for External Affairs. In
1907 he came to England as a delegate to the Imperial
Navigation Conference, over which Mr. Lloyd George, then
at the Board of Trade, presided. In 1908 he was Attorney-
General in Mr. Andrew Fisher's Labour Cabinet. It was
then that Old Age and Invalid Pensions were agreed to. Mr.
Hughes had by now made his name not only by his champion-
ship of the cause of Labour, but as a staunch opponent of
strikes and by his uncompromising advocacy of the ballot.
When the "fourth Federal Parliament met in 1910. Mr.
Andrew Fisher was Premier and Mr. Hughes again Attorney-
General. He was Acting- Premier on two occasions, when Mr
Fisher was in South Africa and in England ; and he succeeded
Mr. Fisher as Prime Minister in October, 1915. In the spring
of the following year he came to England at the invitation of
the Government, visiting Canada on his way hither and
being admitted to the Canadian Privy Council, and speaking
in South Africa on his way home. While in Europe he
was made a Privy Councillor of the United Kingdom, and
presented with the freedom of Cardiff, Bristol, Edinburgh,
Glasgow, and other cities. He visited the Front, attended
the Economic Conference in Paris, and made a series of
speeches which thrilled the whole Empire and put new
spirit in the ranks of our heroic and much-tried troops.
Planks in His Social Platform
The three planks in Mr. Hughes' social platform may be
described in a few words as (i) national safety ; (2) the
conservation and extension of trade and industry ; and
(3) the lifting up of the masses of the people to a level
which should ensure to every worker, using that term in
its very widest meaning, such remuneration and conditions of
labour as are necessary to enable a man to marry and bring
up a family in reasonable comfort, and with those surround-
ings that free men in a civilised country ought to have.
He was among those who foresaw the war. To him
Australia owes her cadet and citizen army organisation.
To him belongs the credit of laying the axe at the root oi
Germany's gigantic underground system of trade monopolies.
To him the majority of people in this country owed the
knowledge that for nearly twelve months after the com-
mencement of the war the British Government could only
buy Australian lead from a German firm. He also pointed
out that at a comparatively early stage in the efforts to
deal with the great German metal combine a German agent
in London declared, with characteristic German effrontery,
that England could not secure the market for her Australian
metal products except through German agencies.
Diagnoses the German Taint in British Commerce
In the cases of dyes, sugar, wheat, and freight, Mr.
Hughes proved no less formidable an opponent to the
German than in the case of tungsten and other metals.
In fact, he proved himself as thorough a business man as
a politician and a social reformer. No one so clearly
diagnosed the German taint that ran like a cancer throughout
the fair body of British trade and commerce. " There is,"
said Mr. Hughes, on one occasion, " between the ideals of
Britain and Germany a gulf as wide as divides heaven from
hell — right from wrong " ; and " If by any malign stroke of
fate the issue should turn against us, the clock of civilisation
would be set back a hundred years."
To Mr. Hughes the true wealth of nations is not in gold
and silver and material things, but in " men valiant, clean
of mind, strong of body, tender and loving of spirit."
Thrilling Efiect of His Speeches in England
Brilliant conversationalist, skilled dialectician, born
negotiator, mordant satirist, with a lambent wit and
amazing industry, Mr. Hughes appealed to the people of
the Homeland as one of the men upon whose courage,
insight and inspiration the British Empire depended in its
greatest hour of trial.
Great leader of Labour, unswerving in his antagonism
to German " Kultur," passionate in his love of liberty,
devoted to the land of his birth as to the land of his adoption,
this man, of slight physique but iron will, fighting against
deafness and dyspepsia, so won the hearts of all who
heard him and who read about him during his visit to
these shores in 1916, that they did not want him to go
back. When he went back they begged him to return.
But Australia could not spare him, and he thought he could
serve the Empire as well in Sydney as in London.
2145
Be it written.
That all I wrought
Was for Britain,
In deed and thought ;
Be it written,
That while I die,
" Glory to Britain ! "
Is my last cry.
— GEORGE MEREDITH.
Britain's
Roll of
Honoured
Dead
around him on the deck.
A A 5
2146
Like a thunderclap came the announcement on June 6th, 1916, that Lord Kitchener, while on his way to Russia on
board H M S Hampshire had been draw-tied, together with his staff and the whole complement of that cruiser, which
at ci°M o'clock on the previous evening struck a mine and foundered in a heavy sea off the west coast of the Orkneys.
Later it was announced there were twelve survivors. Universal sorrow at the tragic end of this great soldier was
manifested throuohout the Empire to which he had consecrated his life. His work at the War Office may, in a sense, have
been achieved— that splendid work of raising our new armies, but the removal of his personality, with all its traditions,
glamour compelling force, was a national loss. On June \yh, 1916, the King and Queen drove, beneath lowering
skies in keeping with the nation's sorrow, to St. Paul's Cathedral to take part in a. solemn service in memory of the
great dead. The cathedral had been the scene of many great and mournful ceremonies, but the resolution on the
faces ol ail the thousands present on this occasion distinguished the sternly simple service from all its predecessors.
No more eloquent description of it was written than that by Mr. Arthur Machen, which we reproduce on this page.
THE echoes gather and resound under the great dome
of echoes, where all the winds of the Empire of the
Britons come, even from the ends of the earth.
Echoes of old battles on fierce African deserts sound
'reverberant in the drums and cymbals as the military music
by the choir gates utters its voices. Hear the noise of the
I onset of the Soudan, rushing in their fury ; hear the sentence
of their doom and overthrow, as he whom we mourn and
celebrate to-day spoke his command and overwhelmed them
;and destroyed them.
Old Egypt, which he redeemed and saved and ruled with
justice, lifts up her voice in the great brazen trumpets and
acclaims him ; the armed hosts of Deccan and Hindostan
speak now and exult in the array that he gave them.
The great drums beat, the bugles clamour ; but the echoes
silence them, for m these voices and above them resounds
the hail and farewell of the myriads of myriads of
" Kitchener's Army," of that host of men that he raised
to fight for us. Their salutation sounds from the long
trenches drawn through France and Flanders, from the
; stronghold of Salonika, from Egyptian wastes.
Beneath the Dome
Thus are the echoes resonant, reverberant beneath the
vast dome of echoes at St. Paul's.
All the while there has been the rustle and the patter of
feet, as the thousands who are to be present take their
places and fill the church from cast to west and all its aisles
and spaces. The singers are following the cross, the golden
sign of the final victory. The Dean and canons follow ;
then the cross and the crozier as the Bishop of London
and the Archbishop of Canterbury take their places.
The Lord Mayor and the sheriffs in their scarlet and gold,
and all the ancient insignia of their offices, are set in the
choir, and then as the bell booms out the strokes of twelve,
the King and Queen and Queen Alexandra enter from the
west and kneel at the three crimson faldstools that iace
the altar with its shining lights. And so the mightiest
mourn for the mighty.
11 For the Trumpet Shall Sound "
The service begins. The hymn " Abide with Me " is sung,
the Paternoster follows, and then the Antiphon :
I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord ; he
that believeth i.i Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live :
and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.
Under this Antiphon they sing the Psalms, " De
profundis " and " Dominus regit me. '
"For the trumpet shall sound." The great Lesson of
the Trumpet is read by the Dean from the chancel steps,
and in it a mighty echo indeed sounds afar from high,
and heavenly places.
And then a silence. And then is the air troubled and
afraid ; and there is a beating as of wings, invisible and
terrible in the vast hollow of the dome.
A rustling and a beating of wings ; but it swells and
grows into a very tumult, and the whole place is shaken
with it. All voices and echoes are clamouring now, and the
drums beat as for the stroke of the doom of death. And
now it is as if the great winds that strive with rolling
Atlantic billows over the waste of ocean have come to this
holy house, even before the altar of God, to mourn for him
who has passed through the deep waters.
And the waters answer, waves from those Orcadian shores.
that engulfed him here lament and mourn ; the seas that
break upon the Orkney rocks cry for the hero whom they
drew down to their darkness. Echoes utter voices beneath
the dome and lament.
But there comes a ringing sound, the sound of the trumpet
of victory ; and the Dead March swells into a triumph in its
close.
The choir then sings the Contakion (or brief Lament) of
the Departed, from the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
They sing for the soul of the dead :
Give rest, O Christ, to Thy servant with Thy saints,
where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but
life everlasting.
The versicles and prayers for the dead follow, ending with :
May the Lord ot His mercy grant to us, with all the
laithlul departed, rest and peace.
The Blessing of the People
After the final hymn — " For all the Saints who from their
labours rest " — the Archbishop blessed the people from
the altar.
Again a pause, and, ringing from the western gallery,
high on the cathedral wall, the buglers sounded the " Last
Post." The echoes rang through the aisles, rang against
the walls, and soared into the hollow of the vaulted dome ;
they bade the last farewell to Field-Marshal Earl Kitchener
of Khartoum.
His work and v.-ars are all ended. Ours are not yet
over. And so, with a crash, band and voices began " God
Save the King." We have still to fight for King and
Country.
2147
BRITAIN'S ROLL OF HONOURED DEAD
Capt. WILFRID LANGDON,
Cheshire Reel.
Major A. A. C. NELSON
Royal Scots.
Capt. E. R. COOKE,
Royal Irish Fusiliers.
Lieut. A. H. HICKMAN.
Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Lieut. N. T. WORTHINGTON,
R. Lancaster Regt.
Lieut. R. C. GREEN,
Bedfordshire Regt.
Lieut. G. K. ROSS.
Canadian Infantry.
Lieut. G. B. MADDERS.
R.F.A.
Lieut. J. C. MORROW,
Canadian Engineers.
IVJajor A. A. C. Nelson, Royal Scots, was the son of the late Sir A. A. Nelson.
Lieutenant A. H. Hickman enlisted as a private in the London Rifle Brigade and
served in Flanders, returning to England in March. 1915. to take up a commission with
the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. In October he was ordered to Gallipoli, and took an active
part in the fighting there and the successful evacuation.
Lieut. Noel Trevor Worthington, Royal Lancaster Regiment, fell in action in the
attack at Anzac, August 9th, 1915.
Sec.-Lientenant Hugh Valentine Cholmeley was the eldest of the three sons of Mr. Lewin
Cholmeley, of the firm of Frere, Cholmeley & Co., solicitors. After leaving Eton he
made a tour round the world ; he was articled in his father's office and. passing his
examinations, would have become a partner in the firm. Although advised not to join
the Army on medical grounds, he succeeded in getting past the doctor, and joined the
Inns of Court O.T.C. Lieut. Cholmeley went to the front in October, and was struck
by a shell splinter on April 7th last.
Sec.-Lieutenant John Frederick Egerton. King's Royal Rifle Corps, was the only son
and heir of Sir Edwin Egerton, formerly Ambassador at Rome, and Lady ligerton. He
was bora in 189G, and was an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford.
Lieut. R. L. VALENTINE,
Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
Sec.-Lieut. C. F. ROMER.
Middlesex Regt.
Sec.-Lieut. C. F. BAILEY,
Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
Sec.-Lt. H. V. CHOLMELEY, Sec.-Lieut. H. H. RICHARDS, Lieut. A. N. PEERLESS,
Grenadier Guards. Connaught Rangers. Canadian Infantry.
Sec.-Lieut. J. S. BURTON,
Grenadier Guards.
Sec.-Lt. R. W. McCONNELL,
.„, King's Own (R. Lane. Regt.).
Portraits bu llrouke Ilufihes, Chancellor, Ellioll & Fry, Lafayette. Swaine. Lambert Wnton.
Sec.-Lieut. N. J. DAVIES,
Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
Sec.-Lieut. R. J. T. WING-
FIELD. R.F.A.
Sec.-Lieut. J. F. EGERTON,
King's Royal Rifles.
214?
BRITAIN'S ROLL OF HONOURED DEAD
Capt. C. T. D. BERRINGTON
Lancers. Indian Army.
Capt. J. D. WADDELL,
Royal Fusiliers.
Capt. M. S. RICHARDSON,
Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Major A. L. BICKFORD.
C.I.E., Rifles, Indian Army.
Lieut. H. R. ANDREWS,
West Yorks Regt.
Lieut. R. L. KNOTT,
Northumberland Fusiliers.
Lieut. G. A. J. GRAVES,
Mounted Rifles.
Lieut. H. F. GARRETT,
East Yorkshire Regt.
Lieut. L. H. F. ROBINSON,
East Surrey Regt.
Lieut. C. L. SMITH.
Gordon Highlanders.
Major Arthur Louis Bickford, C.I.E., lliflcp. Indian Army, entered the Queen's
(Royal West Surrey Regiment) in August, 1892, and transferred to the Indian Army.
In August, 1914, he was appointed to the Staff of the D.A.A.-G. Before the great war he
saw service In the Tirah Campaign (1897-98), and received the medal with two clasps; in
1908 he was employed in the operations in the Zukka Khel country. For these services
he was mentioned in despatches, received the brevet rank of major, and was decorated
with the medal and clasp. Major Bickford, who was the son of Admiral Andrew Kennedy
Bickford, C.M.G., was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1911.
Captain Mcrvyn Stronge Richardson, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, was twenty-one years
of age, and the youngest son of Captain Arthur Percy Richardson and Mrs. Richardson
of Purton House, Wiltshire. He received his commission in August. 1914, and reached
the rank of captain in December, 1915. He had been fourteen months on active service,
and had been recommended for an honour by both his commanding officer and the general
commanding.
Captain Caradoc Trevor Davies Berrington, Lancers, Indian Army, attached Royal
Field Artillery, obtained his first commission in the Royal Artillery in July, 1906, and
joined the Indian Army, with the same rank, in September, 1908.
Lieut. Charles H. A. F. Newton, King's Royal Rifle Corps, was the only 'surviving
son of Mr. Francis J. Newton, C.V.O., C.M.G., Treasurer of the British South Africa Com-
pany, Rhodesia. ,
m m
Sec.-Lieut. R. E. MAY,
Highland Light Infantry.
Lieut. N. A. MORICE.
East Yorkshire Regt.
Sec.-Lieut. E. B. PEDDER,
Hussars.
Lieut. E. M. THOMPSON,
Yorkshire Regiment.
Sec.-Lieut. C. C. POCOCK.
East Surrey Regt.
Lieut. A. A. WARREN,
Border Regiment.
Lieut. A. H. BELL,
Canadian Mounted Rifles.
Sec.-Lieut. H. W. T. ARM- Lieut. C. H. A. F. NEWTON,
STRONG, East Surrey Regt. King's Royal Rifle Corps.
Portraits by Swaint, Bassano, Elliott <t Fry, Lafayette, Watson.
Lt. M. J. VINCENT-JACKSON,
Sherwood Foresters.
Sec.-Lieut. J. G. GREGORY,
London Regiment.
2149
BRITAIN'S ROLL OF HONOURED DEAD
Cmpt. E. A. SAUNDERS,
R.F.A. and B.F.C.
Capt. C. E. BARNETT,
East Surrey Begt.
Lieut. G. E. L. BOWLBY,
Lincolnshire Begt.
Lt.-Col. A. B. NETHEBSOLE,
Indian Army.
Capt. the Hon. A T. SHAUGH
NESSY, Canadian Infantry.
Lieut. H. T. BARNETT,
East Surrey Begt.
Lt.W. A. CLIFF-McCULLOCH.
Boyal Irish Rifles.
Capt. G. WOODHAMS.
Boyal Sussex Begt.
Lieut. J. W. DA VIES,
Boyal Wolsh Fusiliers.
Lieut. E. D. PRICE,
Royal Irish Begt.
(•"aptain R. A. Saunders, London Brigade, Royal Field Artillery and Royal Flying
' Corps, received his commission as second-lieutenant in the Territorial Force R F A
July, 1914, and was promoted in the following December. He afterwards joined the
Royal Flying Corps, and obtained flight-commander's rank in December, 1915. Lieutenant-
Colonel Alfred Ralph Nethereole, Indian Army, received a commission in the Royal Scots
fusiliers in August, 1888. He transferred to the Indian Army in 1891, and received
his captaincy in August, 1899. In 1906 he was given his majority, and in August 1914
he became lieutenant-colonel. For five years from 1905 he held the appointment of
adjutant of Indian Volunteers, and from 1902 to 1905 he was an officer on the Staff Before
the present war he saw service on the North-Western Frontier in the campaign of 1901-"
and had the Waziristan medal with clasp.
Captain the Hon. A. T. Shaughnessy, Canadian Infantry, was the second son of Lord
bhaiiKhnessy, President of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Captain G. Woodhams, Royal Sussex Regiment had seen a good deal of active service
with the Expeditionary Force. Lieut. G. E. L. Bowlby, Lincolnshire Regiment, entered
that regiment in December, 1914, and was promoted in the following September
Lieut. W. Duff, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), had been for some years connected with
the Territorial Forcc^ and his lieutenant's commission was dated December 25th 1912
Lieut. F. P. Robertson, Lancashire Fusiliers, was a member of the London Scottish from
1909 onwards, and served with them in France from September, 1914, to May 1915
Lieut. W. DUFF,
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles).
Lieut. R. B. SHERIDAN,
Boyal Dublin Fusiliers.
Sec.-Lt. C. H. E. VARNDELL,
Queen's (R. West Surrey Begt.).
Sec.-Lieut. A. W. McGREGOR.
The Black Watch.
Sec.-Lieut. D. M. H. JEWELL,
B. Fusiliers (Public Schools).
Lieut. F. P. ROBEBTSON,
Lancashire Fusiliers.
^s^.
Sec.-Lieut. F. L. L. BOGERS,
Royal Field Artillery.
Sec.-Lieut. C. W. F. WOOL- Sec.-Lt. E. A. L. STURRIDGE. Sec.-Lieut. W W. NICHOLAS,
NOUGH, Bedford Regiment. Yorkshire Light Infantry. Duke of Cornwall's L.I.
Portraits ly Swaine, Lafayette, Elliott <£• Fry, Eassarw, Lambert Weston.
Sec.-Lieut. F. J. O'FLYNN,
Royal Minister Fusiliers.
2150
BRITAIN'S ROLL OF HONOURED DEAD
Rear- Admiral ARBUTHNOT.
H.M.S. Defence.
Commander COPLESTONE-
BOUGHEY, H.M.S. Defence.
Com. H. L. L. PENNELL.
H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Com. R. H. D. TOWNSEND,
H.M.S. Invincible.
Com. Sir C. R. BLANE,
H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Capt. C. J. WINTOUR,
H.M.S. Tipperary.
Lieut.-Com. R. L. CLAYTON,
H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Com. L. W. JONES,
H.M.S. Sbark.
Lieut. H. G. S. LAINO,
H.M.S. Indefatigable.
R ear-Admiral the Hon. Horace Hood, C.B.. D.S.O.. M.V.O.. went down with his ship
H.M.S. Invincible, after leading his division to the attack with the most Inspiring
courage. May 31st. 1916. Admiral Hood was born ill 1870. and was the third son of the
fourth Viscount Hood. He served in the Sudan and Somali Expeditions. Admiral Hood
was also Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty.
Ki'ar-Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot, C.B.. M.V.O., who went down with the Defence,
entered the Navy in 1877, and was appointed Rear-Admiral of the Second Battle-Cruiser
Squadron in 1913-14. Sir Robert was a prominent all-round sportsman.
Commander L. W. Jones, H.M.S. Shark, was one of the outstanding heroes of the Jutland
Battle. The Shark was the first destroyer to come to grips with the enemy, sinking the
leading German destroyer with a well-placed torpedo, and a second German destroyer
soon followed. Then two enemy torpedoes converged on the glorious little craft and
she was shattered, but Commander Jones with two men continued to work the remaining
gun until the destroyer went down.
Among the many brave chaplains who succumbed in the great flght were the Revs
C. W. Lydall, C. A. Walton, and W. H. Le Patourel.
Lieut. V. G. SNOW,
H.M.S. Hampshire.
Lieut. T. F. S. FLEMMING,
H.M.S. Invincible.
Lieutenant PERCY
STRICKLAND.
Lieut. J. M. B. HANLY,
H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Lieut. E. W. MILSOM,
H.M.S. Defence.
Lieut. E. S. RAY.
H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Mid. R. ROXBURGH,
H.M.S. Indefatigable.
Rev. C. W. LYDALL,
Naval Chaplain.
Mid. H. J. TUSON, Rev. C. A. WALTON,
H.M.S. Indefatigable. Naval Chaplain.
Portraits by Russell, Su-aim, Uaull it Fox, Lafayette.
Rev. W. H. Le PATOUREL,
H.M.S. Defence.
2151
BRITAIN'S ROLL OF HONOURED DEAD
Capt. A. L. CAY,
H.M.S. Invincible.
Com. L. H. SHORE,
H.M.S. Invincible.
Lieut.-Com. J. S. WILSON
H.M.S. Indefatigable.
Lt.-Com. H. C. R. FEILDING
H.M.S. Defence.
Lt.-Com. E. S. OSBOURNE
H.M.S. Invincible.
Lt.-Cm. G. MURRAY-BROWNE,
H.M.S. Indefatigable.
Lieut. V. A. EWART.
H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Lieut. C. E. F. EGAN,
H.M.S. Ardent.
Lieut. G. H. V. BAYFIELD.
H.M.S. Black Prince.
(^•ommander L. H. Shore, navigation officer, was the second son of Commander the
^ Hon. Henry Noel Shore, and a nephew of Lord Teignmouth. Entering the
service in 1898, he served in China as aide-de-camp to the late Admiral, then Commander,
Cradock, and was mentioned in despatches.
Lieut. Frank Power O'Reilly was Flag-Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral Hood, and a nephew
of Mr. Frank Power, the " Times " correspondent at Khartoum, who sent the despatches
through which the only news of Khartoum and Gordon came.
Lieut. Maurice John Bethell was the second son of Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir Alexander
Bethel). He entered the lloyal Naval College, Osborne. in 1907, and passed second out
of the Britannia, obtaining the first prize for mathematics. In the beginning of the war
Lieut. Bethell served on the Aurora, and was present at the Dogger Bank action.
Major Robert Crosthwaite Colquhoun, B.M.L.I., son of the late Rev. E. Colquhoun.
chaplain, anil Mrs. Colquhoun. Durrne, Cheltenham, was assistant to the Professor of
Fortifications at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, from 1902 to 1905.
Midshipman the Hon. Barnard Michael Bailey was the youngest son of Lord Glanusk.
Lieut.-Coinmander the Hon. Hugh C. R. Feilding was the second son of the Earl and
Countess of Denbigh. He was a particularly brilliant officer, having gained the coveted
" six ones " in his examination for lieutenant, and he was awarded the Beaufort and
Wharton testimonials for navigation.
Lieut. F. P. O'REILLY,
H.M.S. Invincible.
Lieut. J. A. KEMP,
H.M.S. Tipperary.
Sub.-Lieut. C. R. de V. LAW,
H.M.S. Indefatigable.
Lieut. M. J. BETHELL,
H.M.S. Nestor.
Eng.-Sub.-Lt. C. P. TANNER,
H.M.S. Indefatigable.
Fleet-Surgeon F. A. CAPPS.
H.M.S. Defence.
Major R. C. COLQUHOUN,
H.M.S. Invincible.
Fleet-Paym. W. W. ALTON, Secretary R. H. CARTER, Mid. Hon. B. M. BAILEY,
H.M.S. Defence. H.M.S. Defence. H.M.S. Defence.
Portraits liy Russell, Swaiiu, Speaight.
Mid. W. N. EDEN,
H.M.S. Indefatigable.
2152
BRITAIN'S ROLL OF HONOURED DEAD
Lieut.-Col. R. C. B. THROCK-
MOETON, R. Welsh Fusiliers.
Major R. J. MUTRIE,
Canadian Mounted Rifles.
Maj. H. C. VAUGHAN-HAR-
RISON, Royal Field Artillery.
Lieut.-Col. H. HARINGTON,
Punjabis, Indian Army.
Capt. A. F. WHITESIDE,
Canadian Infantry.
Major N. E. LECKIE,
Canadian Infantry.
Capt. A. G. COWIE,
Seaiorth Highlanders.
Capt. A. P. WILLIAMS-
FREEMAN, Lincolnshire Regt.
Capt. H. D. BROUGHTON,
Cheshire Regt.
Capt. A. TEMPLE,
Canadian Mounted Rifles.
I ieut.-Col. R. C. Brabazon Throckmorton, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, attached Wiltshire
*-• Regiment, entered the Service In 1887, served at Malta Irom 1894 to 1896, and at
Aden from 1896 to 1897. He was engaged throughout the South African War, and was
present at the Relief of Ladysmith. He fought at Colenso, on the Tugela Heights, in the
Transvaal, and the Orange River Colony. Colonel Throckmorton was decorated with
the Queen's and the King's Medals with seven clasps.
Captain A. O. Cowie, Seaforth Highlanders, was the younger son of Brigadier-General
and Mrs. A. H. Cowie. He entered the Seaforths in December, 1911 when in his
twenty-third year. Captain Cowie was a fine cricketer, and got his Blue for Cambridge.
Captain J. N. Inglis, the Black Watch, was born in June, 1888, and was gazetted to the
Royal Highlanders from the Special Reserve In February, 1909. He was promoted in
September, 1911, and received the substantive rank of captain in February, 1915.
Lieut. Viscount Quenington, Royal Gloucestershire Hussars (Yeomanry), was Member
of Parliament for the Tewkesbury Division. Lord Quenington was the only son of the
first Earl St. Aldwyn, who died shortly after Lord Quenington was killed. Lord Quenington
had recently suffered bereavement by the death of his wife, the daughter of Mr. H. D.
Brocklehurst, of Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire, and left a son, the present Earl St. Aldwyn
who is four years of age, and a daughter of six.
Sec.-Lleut. J. E. Binns, Wiltshire Regiment, obtained his commission In June, 1915.
Capt. J. N. INGLIS,
Black Watch.
Lieut. C. R. GODWIN.
Canadian Field Artillery
Lt.-Com. L. P. FREYBERG
R.N., H.M.S. Russell.
Lieut. A. B. IRVINE
Canadian Infantry.
Sec.-Lieut. P. C. BURTON,
East Yorkshire Regiment.
Lieut. W. M. DOBIE.
Royal West Kent Regt.
Lt. Viscount QUENINGTON.
R. Gloucester Hussars (Yeo.).
Sec.-Lient. A. F. BENTLEY, Sec.-Lieut. C. P. A. HERSEE, Sec.-Lieut. J. E. BINNS,
Sherwood Foresters. Royal Fusiliers. Wiltshire Regt.
Portraits by Barnett, Elliott & Fry, Lafayette, Lambert Western, Sicaine, Watson.
Sec.-Lieut. R. G. PECK,
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles).
2153
BRITAIN'S ROLL OF HONOURED DEAD
Com. E. H. LLEWELYN.
H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Capt. HERBERT J. SAVILL,
H.M.S Hampshire.
Lieut. W. W. SKYNNER,
H.M.S. Hampshire.
Lieut.-Com. G. C. STREET,
H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Lieut. E. T. DONNELL,
H.M.S. Shark.
Lieut. E. N. G. MATON,
H.M.S. Tipperary.
Lieut. W. J. W. FLETCHER,
H.M.S. Black Prince.
Lieut. C. H. ABERCROMBIE,
H.M.S. Defence.
Lieut. R. C. A. GOW,
H.M.S. Defence.
Lieut. S. H. SLJNGSBY.
H.M.S. Defence.
/"•apt. Herbert J. Savlll was born in 1870, entered the Navy as cadet in 1883, took four
^ " firsts " in the examination for promotion to lieutenant in 1891, was promoted
commander In 1902, and captain in 1907. He had the General Africa Medal with clasp
and the South Africa Medal.
Among naval officers reported to have lost their lives in the Battle off Jutland, Com-
mander Robert Harman Llewelyn, aged thirty-one, was the only surviving son of Sir
Robert and Lady Llewelyn, and gained his promotion as commander on January 1st, 1916.
Lieut. Ernest Tudor Donnell, aged twenty-two, was the eldest son of the Rev. C. E. and
Mrs. Donnell, of Stamfordham Vicarage, Northumberland.
Lieut. Eustace Newton Gerald Maton, aged twenty-six, was the youngest son of Mr. and
Mrs. Leonard Maton, of Sundial House. Kensington. Lieut. Cecil H. Abercrombie, who
was in his thirtieth year, had won many laurels as a cricketer and a Rugby football player.
He was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Abercrombie, of South Croxted Road, Dulwich.
Lieut. Roderick C. A. Gow was the youngest son of the Rev. Dr. Gow, headmaster of
Westminster. Lieut. Stephen H. Slingsby, who was in his twenty-fourth year, was brother
of Capt. A. E. K. Slingsby and Capt. A. M. Slingsby, who fell in France and Mesopotamia
respectively. He was the fourth son of Mr. J. A. Slingsby, of Skipton, Yorks, and became
lieutenant in January, 1916. Midshipman Herbert Snead-Cox was aged sixteen, and the
eldest surviving son of John Snead-Cox, of Broxwood Court, Herefordshire.
Lieut. F. G. STEWART,
H.M.S. Hampshire.
Surg. CYRIL 0. H. JONES,
H.M.S. Invincible.
Eng.-Sub.-Lt. E. CHAMPNESS,
H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Fleet-Paymaster JOHN A.
PLACE.
Mid.ADAIRG. CAMPBELL,
H.M.S. Defence.
Sub.-Lient. H. F. VERNON,
H.M.S. Hampshire.
Mid: H. SNEAD-COX,
HJ8.S. Indefatigable.
Mid. R. B. CROFT, Mid. PERCY A. W. WAIT,
H.M.S. Indefatigable. H.M.S. Queen Mary.
Portraits by SpeaigM, Suiaine, Maul! & fox, Russell, Chancellor.
Mid. D. F. C. L. TOTTENHAM,
H.M.S. Invincible.
Mid. M. 0. HANWELL,
H.M.S. Defence.
2154
BRITAIN'S ROLL OF HONOURED DEAD
Major J. H. W. JOHNSTONE. Cant. W. C. HAYDEN.
Royal Field Artillery. Hon. Artillery Company.
Capt. C. M. HUMBLE- Capl. J. R. WALPOLE.
CROFTS, Royal Sussex Regt. Royal West Surrey Rest.
Capt. H. F. MOTT
London Regiment.
Lieut. J. I. B. BALL.
Royal Field Artillery.
Sec.-Lieut. W. H. JOWETT.
King's (Liverpool) Regt.
Capt. D. V. F. ANDERSON,
Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
Capt. L. P. WALSH.
Royal Dublin Fusiliers
Capt. G. N. ALISON,
Seaforth Highlanders.
Captain u. c. Hayden joined the Honourable Artillery Company in 1S»7. In lulu lie
won the championship of the regiment for shooting at the annual Bisley ride meeting.
On the outbreak of war he volunteered for active service with the 1st Battalion H.A.C.. and
was immediately offered his commission, leaving with his regiment for France about
September, 1914. He was wounded in the attack at Hooge. June, 1915, and was killed in
action while in his dug-out by a shell at Hooge, on September 15th, 1915.
Captain Cyril Mitforrt Humble-Crofts, Royal Sussex Regiment, was the third son of
Prebendary and Mrs. Humble-Crofts, of Waldron Rectory. Sussex. Captain John llobsart
W'alpole. Royal West Surrey Regiment, received his commission in January, 11KI1, in the
Lancashire Artillery Militia, and subsequently, in 1904, a commission in the "Queen's."
Resigning in 1910, he spent three years rubber planting in Malaya. On the outbreak of
war he rejoined his old regiment, and was gazetted captain in December, 1914. He was
the second son of Sir Charles and the late Lady Walpole.
Temporary-Captain Hugh Fenwick Mott, London Hegiment, who was twenty-two years
old, was educated at Marlborough and Oxford. He received a commission in" September,
1!)14, and was slightly wounded once. He was awarded the Military Cross in the Birthday
Honours_ of 1916. He was killed in action, " gallant|y leading his company in the attack."
Captain Denis Vipont Friend Anderson. 1st Battalion the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, which
rorined part of the " glorious 29th Division." was killed in action in the Oallipoli landing,
on April 25th. 1015.
Lieut. F. L. PUSCH. D.S.O..
Irish Guards.
Sec.-Lieut. R. J. C. LEADER.
Durham Light Infantry.
Sec.-Lieut. H. L. TATE.
Royal Field Artillery.
^
Lieut. F. J. CORR.
Canadian Infantry.
Sec.-Lt. P. K. BADDELEY.
Royal Field Artillery.
Sec.-Lieut. G. PERKINS,
West Yorks Regiment.
Sec.-Lieut. J. M. HUNTER.
Wiltshire Regiment.
Sec.-Lieut. G. H. MASSEY. Sec.-Lient. 0. LL. JOHNS. Sec.-Lieut. P F. GETH1N Sec -Lieut M L PRICE,
Royal Field Artillery. Royal Field Artillery. Devonshire Regiment. Middlesex Regiment.
(Photos by Chancdler, Elliott & Fry. Claude Harris, Jiroote Hughes, Lafayette, Russell A Sons, Svaine, Lambert HVtton.)
2155
DIARY T°HFE SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN OF 1916
The Progress of the Great War from the Eve of
Verdun to the Opening Battles of the Somme
1916
MAR. i. — German seaplane raids the South-East Coast. A child
of nine months killed.
In the region of Verdun there is no infantry attack. West
of the Meuse the German bombardment continues in the
zone between Malancourt and Forges.
i.M.S. Primula, a mine-sweeper carrying out patrol
duties, torpedoed and sunk in the East Mediterranean. All
officers and crew saved but three.
MAR. 2.— Verdun Battle, 12th Day.— To the north and in the
Woevre district the enemy's artillery fire increases on the
whole front, and principally against Dead Man Hill, the
Pepper Ridge, and the Douaumont Ridge. At Fresnes, a
dozen miles south-east of Verdun, the enemy reach some of
the French positions, but are thrown back by counter-
attack.
British explode five mines near the Hohcnzollern Redoubt
and occupy the craters, and on the Ypres-Comines Canal
consolidate positions taken, which include 200 yards of
enemy's original trench. Prisoners total 5 officers and 249
other ranks.
Russians take Bitlis.
MAR. 3. — Hot fighting near village of Douaumont, French
holding the upper part of the knoll on the northern slopes.
A sharp counter-attack enables French to regain ground
in immediate vicinity of the village.
MAR. 4. — Violent cannonade on left bank of the Meuse at Hill
304 and at Goose Hill. Germans succeed in gaining a
looting in village of Douaumont, from which they were
driven on March 3.
Russian troops occupy Atina on the Black Sea coast.
MAR. > — Verdun Battle. In the wood to the east of Vacherau-
ville (on the Meuse north-east of Verdun) an attack by the
Germans against French advanced positions completely
repulsed.
Zeppelin Raid over Eight Eastern Counties; 13 killed and
33 injured.
MAR. 6. — Germans enter the village of Forges, but are repulsed
at Goose Hill. In Champagne they launch an attack,
accompanied by jets of liquid fire, upon French positions
between Mont Tetu and Maisons de Champagne.
MAR. 7. — Germans capture Hill 265 at the price ^of heavy loss.
Russians capture Rizeh, forty miles east of Trebizond.
MAR. 8. — French repulse a great German infantry attack west of
the Meuse in the region of Bethincourt.
French air squadrons, consisting of 18 machines, drop 124
bombs on the Metz-Sablons station.
MAR. 9. — Verdun Battle. French smash a German mass attack
in the region of the village of Vaux, north-east of Verdun.
West of the Meuse they make further progress in the Crows'
Wood.
Mesopotamia Campaign. — War Office announces that on
March (> General Aylmer reached Es-Sinn, seven miles east
of Kut-el-Amara. He attacked enemy on March 8, but was
unable to dislodge him.
War Office announces that General Smuts' troops have
advanced against German forces in the Kilimanjaro area,
and seized the crossings of the Lumi River with insignificant
loss.
Russian torpedo-boat, Lieutenant Pustchin, torpedoed
by enemy submarine off Varna.
Uritish air raid by thirty-one machines against the
Germans' railhead and billets at Carvin.
MAR. 10. — Germans succeed in retaking the Crows' Wood.
1916
War Office announces General Aylmer, after operating
seven to eight miles from the Tigris on the right bank, in
consequence of lack of water, was obliged to fall back on
the river.
Germany Declares War on Portugal.
MAR. ii. — Italian artiller)' vigorously bombard enemy positions
at the bridgehead of Gorizia.
MAR. 12. — Russia reports her troops have occupied Kirind, in
Persia, on the way to Bagdad.
Admiralty announces that mercantile fleet auxiliary
Fauvette strikes a mine off the East Coast and sinks.
Casualties, two officers and twelve men.
MAR. 13. — Report from General Smuts on battle which com-
menced on March n against the German-prepared positions
on the Kitova Hills, west of Taveta (on the north-eastern
border of German East Africa), refers to bravery of South
African troops, whose final attack secured a hold until
reinforced.
Russians report that they drove back the Turks in the
region of the River Kalapotamos (thirty miles east of Trebi-
zond), and captured eight guns in the operations near
Kermanshah.
MAR. 14. — New Verdun Attack. — North-west of the fortress
German heavy gun fire redoubled in intensity. Repulsed on
the whole front, the enemy gain a footing only at two points of
French trenches, between Bethincourt and Dead Man Hill.
Italians capture enemy positions in the San Martino zone.
War Office reports that the Senussi raid from Tripoli has
crumpled up. The British reoccupy Sollum, the frontier post
in Western Egypt; fifty Arabs killed and three guns taken.
MAR. 15. — Verdun attack slackens. French recover a portion
of the small area which Germans took from them on March 13.
German East Africa. — General Smuts reports another suc-
cess by capturing Moshi, the most important town in the
north-east of German East Africa.
MAR. 16. — Despatcli from General Lake published, reporting that
the Turks were attacked in an advanced position on the
Tigris on March n, and " a considerable number bayoneted,"
but the British column then withdrew.
Resignation of Grand-Admiral Tirpiiz officially announced
from Berlin.
Dutch I4,ooo-ton liner Tubantia torpedoed off the North
Hinder Light.
British spring mines on the Double Grassier, south-west
of Loos.
General Gallieni, French Minister of War, resigns through
ill-health, and is succeeded by General Roques.
MAR. 17.- — -To the north of the Aisne an enemy attack directed
against a French post to the south-east of the Bois des Buffes
repulsed after hand-grenade fighting.
MAR. 18. — Germans, by exploding mines, recapture three craters
at the Hohenzollern Redoubt.
German attacks between Vaux and the woods to the
south of the Hardaumont Farm stopped by French fire.
Dutch liner Palembang torpedoed and sunk off the
Galloper Lightship.
MAR. 19. — Air Raid on Kent. — Four German seaplanes drop
bombs on Ramsgate, Margate, Deal and Dover — thirteen
killed and thirty-one wounded. Flight-Commander Bone,
R.N.A.S., in a single-seater aeroplane, pursued one of the
German seaplanes thirty miles out to sea, where, after an
action lasting a quarter of an hour, he forced it to descend.
Russians repulse a German attack south of Dvinsk.
DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR
1916
MAR. 20. — Announced that H.R.H. the Prince of Wales has
arrived in Egypt on appointment as Staff Captain on the
Staff of the General Officer Comman.ding-in-Chief the
Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.
Great Allied Air Raid.— Sixty-five British, French, and
Belgian machines, carrying four and a half tons of bombs,
drop them on the German air stations at Zecbrugge and
Houthane.
Verdun, 30th Day of Battle. — The Germans, having failed
at every other point, extend their attacks on Verdun farther
to the west. With a new division and the use of flame
projectors they make a violent attack between Malancourt
and Avocourt, but their assaults broken up by French with
severe loss to the enemy.
Russians capture two villages south of Dvinsk and bridge-
head on the Dniester.
MAR. 21. — Germans, after violent fighting and using jets of
flaming liquid, make their way to the southern edge of
Avocourt Wood. The French inflict heavy loss on enemy,
and prevent advance.
Renewed Russian offensive in the north and south of their
line.
Naval Skirmish in North Sea. — Four British destroyers
attack and chase three German destroyers off the Belgian
coast. The enemy fled, making for Zeebrugge, but two
German boats were hit. Our casualties were four wounded.
MAR. 22. — On the small knoll of Haucourt the Germans succeed
in gaining a footing.
Activity along whole Russian front, especially at Jacob-
stadt, in the Tchermetz Lotra region, and on the south-
western shore of Lake Narotch.
Russians occupy Ispahan.
General Cadorna arrives in London.
MAR. 23. — Announced that Major-General Sir George F. Gorringe,
K.C.B., appointed temporary Lieutenant-General in Meso-
potamia.
British Front Extended. — In official report from Head-
quarters announced that there has been artillery activity
about Fricourt, Gommecourt, Hohenzollern Redoubt, and
Souchez, the last-mentioned in new line taken over from the
French.
MAR. 24. — Cross-Channel steamship Sussex torpedoed off the
French coast on her passage from Folkestone to Dieppe.
Feared loss of a hundred persons.
Liner Minneapolis torpedoed in the Mediterranean, with
loss of eleven lives.
MAR. 25. — German Raider Sunk. — Admiralty announces that an
engagement took place on February 29 in North Sea between
the armed German raider Greif, disguised as a Norwegian
merchant vessel, and H.M. armed merchant cruiser Alcantara
(Captain T. E. Wardle, R.N.). The engagement resulted
in the loss of both vessels, the German raider being sunk
by gun fire, and the Alcantara apparently being torpedoed.
Five German officers and 115 men picked up and taken
prisoners. British losses, five officers and sixty-nine men.
Raid on Zeppelin Sheds. — British seaplanes attack German
airship sheds in Schleswig-Holstein, east of the island of Sylt,
escorted to their rendezvous, close to the German coast, by
a force of light cruisers and destroyers under Commander
Tyrwhitt ; three of the seaplanes missing. H.M. torpedo-
boat destroyer Medusa collides with H.M. torpedo-boat
destroyer Laverock, and former sunk. Two German armed
patrol vessels sunk.
MAR. 26. — Russian offensive continues ; trenches captured at
Postavy.
MAR. 27. — British Push near Ypres. — After exploding mines,
infantry of the Northumberland Fusiliers and Royal Fusiliers
assault the German salient at St. Eloi (south of Ypres), suc-
cessfully taking the front and second-line trenches on a front
ol some 600 yards. Heavy casualties caused to the enemy.
Our captures were two German officers and 168 men.
Great Allied Conference opens in Paris.
MAR. 28.- — Russia's fight for Trebizond. Our ally's troops
dislodge Turks from their positions in the region of the
Baltatchi Darassi River (thirty miles east of the port of
Trebizond), and after an engagement occupy the town of Of.
MAR. 29. — French storm Avocourt Redoubt, and advance 300
yards.
MAR. 30. — General Polivanoff, Russian War Minister, resigns.
Heavy fighting round Verdun. Germans attack French
positions on skirts of Fort Douaumont with aid of liquid fire,
but repulsed.
MAR. 31. — Crown Prince of Serbia arrives in London.
Zeppelin raid on Eastern Counties ; 43 killed, 66 injured.
Zeppelin Li5 disabled and crew captured.
1916
APRIL i. — Zeppelin raid on North-East Coast; sixteen persons
killed and one hundred injured.
Germans gain a footing in the western part of the village
of Vaux.
APRIL 2. — Zeppelin raid on North and Soutn-East England and
South-East Scotland. In latter country twelve killed,
eleven injured.
Germans make violent attacks on the Avocourt Wood
Redoubt, but are repulsed. All day struggle at Douau-
mont-Vaux.
Allied airmen drop eighty-three bombs on enemy canton-
ments of Keyem, Eessen, Terrest, and Houthulst.
APRIL 3. — British Crater Success. — Our troops attack the crater
at St. Eloi, which had been held by Germans since March
3Oth, capturing it and establishing our line beyond it. We
took eighty-four prisoners.
French reoccupy the western portion of the village of Vaux.
APRIL 4. — Ministry of Munitions reports serious fire broke out in
a powder-factory in Kent during the week-end, leading to a
series of explosions ; 106 men killed, and 66 injured.
War Office announces Zeppelin raid on East Anglian coast ;
no damage, and no casualties.
War Budget introduced in House of Commons.
German retreat in Verdun sector. Germans launch
powerful attack south of village of Douaumont. Successive
waves of men mown down by French fire, and enemy
retreats in disorder towards the Chaffour Wood.
APRIL 5. — A Zeppelin attacking North-East Coast driven off by
anti-aircraft fire.
British bombard hostile works near Bois Grenier (south of
Armentieres) and north of Ypres-St. Julien Road with good
effect. About St. Eloi artillery on both sides very active.
General Lake reports from Mesopotamia that Tigris
corps attacked and carried the enemy's entrenched position
at Umm-el-Hannah (twenty miles north-east of Kut).
APRIL 6. — General Sir John Nixon's despatch on operations in
Mesopotamia published.
Further details of Mesopotamia campaign to hand. On the
right (south) bank the 3rd Division, under General Keary, on
April 5th, captured enemy's trenches opposite the Falahijah
position. On the left (north) bank General Gorringe carries
the Falahijah positions, fifteen miles north-east of Kut.
Germans attack British at St. Eloi.
French gain near Fort Douaumont.
APRIL 7. — At St. Eloi enemy regains portion of trenches cap-
tured by British, March 27th.
APRIL 8. — Further War Office report concerning operations in
Mesopotamia issued. During night of April 6th-7th,
operations on the north (left) bank of the river confined to
close reconnaissance of the Sanna-i-Yat defences.
East African Campaign. — General Smuts reports that on
April 3rd troops under General Van de Venter surprised
a German force in the Arusha district, surrounded it
April 4th, and received its surrender April 6th.
APRIL 9. — Renewed Verdun Battle. — German attack on a six-
mile front north-west of Verdun everywhere repulsed.
French strengthen their position by evacuating Bethincourt.
APRIL 10. — War Office announces no attack on the Sanna-i-Yat
position was made on April 6th, as reported by enemy.
According to Sir P. Lake, our attack on April gth failed to
get through Turks' lines.
Officially reported British troops capture the mine-crater
at St. Eloi remaining in German hands, and by a further
attack establish themselves in the enemy's trenches running
south-west from the crater.
Germans gain five hundred yards of advanced trenches
on Hill 295 (Dead Man Hill).
APRIL n. — Despatch by General Sir C. C. Monro on the evacua-
tion of Gallipoli published.
Enemy raids British trenches near La Bpissclle (north-cast
of Albert) after heavy bombardment, in which he used
" tear " shells, but was driven out.
APRIL 12. — Allies New Naval Base. — Reported that Allies land
forces in the Greek island of Cephalcnia, seventy-five miles
south of Corfu.
German Attacks on British. — Enemy makes three suc-
cessive attacks west of Pilkem-Ypres Road (north of Ypres).
The first gains a footing in our trenches, but quickly driven
out, others repulsed north-east of Carnoy (north of the
Somme).
APRIL 13. — In the Verdun sector bombardment continued against
Hill 304 and the Dead Man-Cumieres position.
Turks' camp at Jifjaffa (east of Suez Canal) attacked and
occupied bv Australian troops. The Katia Oasis also
occupied.
2] 57
DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR
1916
APRIL 14.— British Air Raid on Constantinople.— Three naval
aeroplanes drop bombs on the Zoitunlik powder-factory and
aeroplane sheds. Another naval aeroplane visits Adria'nople
and drops bombs on the railway station.
APRIL 15. — Turk division routed by Russian troops in the region
ol Bitlis.
French battleplane, from a height of three hundred feet,
attacks enemy ships in North Sea, firing sixteen shells,
most of which hit their mark.
APRIL 16. — Kut Relief Force. — General Lake reports gradual,
but steady, progress made on the right bank, and the
enemy's advanced lines driven in and occupied.
French air squadron of nine machines drops bombs on
Conflans railway station, on factories at Rombach, on
Arnairlle railway station, and on railway at Pagny.
APRIL 17. — On the right of the Meuse, from the river to Douau-
mont, the Germans launch an attack by two divisions.
The assault, hurled on a front of two and a half miles, is
repulsed by French, except at one point, where enemy gets
a footing in a little salient south of Chaffour Wood.
APRIL 18. — Fall of Trebizond officially reported from Petrograd.
War Office announces a check to the Kut relief army.
Turks heavily counter-attacked on the right (south) bank
of the Tigris, forcing back our lines.
Mr. W. M. Hughes, the Prime Minister of Australia,
receives the Freedom of the City of London.
United States " Ultimatum *' to Germany.— President
Wilson's Note to Berlin demanding that Germany abandon
her piracy or the United States will sever relations with her
regarded as practically an ultimatum.
APRIL 19. — Germans' three successive attacks on French
positions at Les Eparges (thirteen miles south-east of
Verdun) repulsed. French troops deliver strong attack
against the German positions north-west of Vaux Pond,
occupy some trench sections, and carry a redoubt.
German Attack at Ypres. — Enemy attack our line round
Ypres, entering trenches from which they are driven out
everywhere except at St. Eloi, and on the Ypres-Langemarck
Road, where they hold one trench.
Reported death of Field-Marshal von der Goltz at Turkish
headquarters.
APRIL 20.— Russian Force in France. — Announced that a detach-
ment of Russian troops has arrived at Marseilles.
APRIL 21. — French gains in the region of Dead Man Hill, and on
the northern outskirts of the Caurettes Wood.
King's Shropshire Light Infantry recapture the trench
about the Ypres-Langemarck Road lost on April igth.
APRIL 22. — Battle for Dead Man Hill. After violent artillery
preparation Germans attack French positions on the northern
slopes of the hill. Gaining a footing in the first line, they
are driven out by a counter-attack.
War Office announces advance in German East Africa,
our troops occupying Umbugwe and Salanga.
APRIL 23. — General Lake telegraphs that our attack on the
Sanna-i-Yat position on the left (north) bank of the Tigris
fails owing to the floods.
APRIL 24. — Zeppelin raid over Norfolk and Suffolk coast ; one
man injured.
Hostile aeroplane flies over Dover, but is diiven off.
French air squadrons during the night bomb stations ot
Longuyon and Stenay, also bivouacs cast of Dun, and in
the Montfaucon region, and the station of Nautillois.
APRIL 25.— Fighting near Suez. — Announced that on April 23rd
Turks attacked our post at Duweidar, but beaten off. On
same day enemy attacked Katia, held by small iorce of
Yeomanry. After severe engagement our troops withdrew.
Announced that General Van de Venter has occupied
Kondona Irangi, in German East Africa.
German Attempt to Land Arms in Ireland. — Admiralty
announces that on night of April 2oth-2ist an attempt to land
arms and ammunition in Ireland was made by a vessel under
the guise of a neutral merchant ship, but in reality a German
auxiliary, in conjunction with a German submarine. The
auxiliary sank, and Roger Casement was made a prisoner.
Chief Secretary for Ireland announces that at noon on
April 24th grave disturbances broke out in Dublin. Rebels
seized Post Office and parts of city.
Bombardment of Lowestoft and Yarmouth. — At 4.30 a.m.
enemy battle-cruisers appear off Lowestoft and shell the
town. Forty houses destroyed and two hundred slightly
damaged ; two men, one woman, and a child killed. At
same time shells fired at Yarmouth. Our local naval
forces engage the enemy, and he returns to Germany, chased
by our light cruisers and destroyers.
Secret Session of Parliament.
1916
APRIL 26. — Zeppelin raid over the cast coast of Kent.
Dublin rebellion. Liberty Hall, the rebel base, destroyed
and occupied. To date, fifteen killed and twenty-one
wounded among troops. In recapture of St. Stephen's
Green eleven insurgents killed.
APRIL 27. — Germans gain a footing in our front and support lines
east-north-east of I,oos, but counter-attack by Irish drives
them out.
German wireless reports H.M. submarine ^22 sunk in
North Sea.
Whole of Ireland under martial law. General Sir John
Maxwell sent, with plenary powers over the whole country.
H.M.S. Russell strikes a mine in the Mediterranean and
sinks. Rear-Admiral Fremantle, 24 officers, and 676 men
saved ; 124 officers and men missing.
APRIL 28. — German submarine sunk off East Coast. One officer
and 17 men of the crew captured.
APRIL 29. — Fall of Kut. — General Townshend surrenders with
2,970 British troops and 6,000 Indian troops.
Russian reverse. Germans retake captured trenches
between Lakes Narotch and Svir, to the ear>t of Vilna.
Enemy claims to have captured 5,600 men.
APRIL 30. — Lord French reports that the back of the Irish
rebellion has been broken.
MAY !.• — All rebels in Dublin reported to have surrendered and
the city " quite safe."
Admiralty announces loss through mines of the armed
yacht Aegusa and the mine-sweeper Nasturtium.
Russian push north-east of Bagdad.
" Summer time " begins in Germany.
MAY 2.- — French attack enemy's positions south-east of Fort
Douaumont, and carry 500 yards of a first-line trench.
Germans attempt assaults east of Ypres, north of Albert,
and on Belgian front, but are stopped by artillery fire.
War Office announces General Townshend's sick and
wounded have been exchanged for equivalent number of
Turkish prisoners.
Five Zeppelins raid North-East Coast of England and South-
East Coast of Scotland ; 9 killed, 29 injured.
MAY 3. — Hostile aeroplane drops bombs on Deal ; two men and
one woman injured.
French parry German positions to north-west of Dead
Man Hill ; 100 prisoners and four machine-guns taken.
Mr. Birrell resigns Irish Secretaryship.
P. H. Pearse, Thomas J. Clarke, and Thomas MacDonagh,
signatories to Irish Republican Proclamation, shot.
Mr. Asquith introduces his Bill for compulsory service
of all men between 18 and 41.
Zeppelin L20 destroyed off Stavanger (Norway), on way
back from raid on British coast, May 2.
Belgian forces land on German shore of Lake Kivu, East
Africa.
MAY 4. — More Russian troops reach Marseilles.
British prisoners in enemy hands reported at 37,047.
Zeppelin L7 destroyed by British light cr&isers Galatea and
Phaeton, and a submarine, off Schleswig.
Four more Irish rebel leaders shot.
Austrian destroyer sunk by French submarine Bernouilli.
MAY 5. — Zeppelin destroyed off Salonika ; 4 officers, 8 men made
prisoners.
MAY 6. — Germany's reply to the American Note on submarine
warfare published.
Mr. Lloyd George speaks at Conway on case for equal
service.
MAY 7.— Strong German attack on French front between Hill 304
and Dead Man Hill, enemy penetrating into communication
trench to east of former. Between Haudromont Wood
and Douaumont Fort he gains a footing in French first line
over a distance of 300 yards.
General Petain promoted Commander-in-Chief of the
Central Armies between Soissons and Verdun.
Russians capture Turkish defences north-east of Bagdad.
Two naval aeroplanes missing ; body TL Flight Sub-
Lieut. H. R. Simms picked up at sea, and the observer,
Sub-Lieut. C. J. Mullens, missing. German claim to have
sunk submarine E3i by gun fire denied.
Air-raid on Port Said ; three civilians wounded.
MAY 8. — British Trench Raids. — North of Thicpyal Wood troops
of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
raid enemy trenches. Near Fromellcs also units of these
troops raid hostile trenches.
Anzacs in France. — War Office announces that Australian
and New Zealand troops have arrived in France. General
Birdwood in command.
Italian troops land at Bardia, near Solliim.
21 OS
DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR
1916
White Star liner Cymric torpedoed and sunk in Atlantic
by a submarine ; five of crew killed.
MAY 9. — Three violent German attacks in the region of Hill 304,
with large forces, smashed by the French fire. Counter-
attacks drive enemy from points of French first line he was
occupying north-west of the Thiaumont Farm.
Robert Fay, Paul Dasche, and Walter Scholz sentenced in
New York for conspiracy to blow up ships.
MAY 10.- — Petrograd reports that Russian troops have occupied
Kasr-i-Shirin, about 100 miles from Bagdad.
President Wilson's reply to German Note published.
Strong German attack west of Hill 304 completely repulsed
by French.
Germans admit sinking of the Sussex by submarine.
MAY ii. — Sir John Nixon's despatch on the Battle of Ctesiphon
and retreat to Kut published.
Mr. Asquith leaves London for Dublin.
Total German losses to end of April officially stated at
2,822,079.
German attack west of the Vaux Pond (north-east of
Verdun) repulsed.
Total casualties to date in Irish rebellion published — 1,315 ;
13 rebels executed.
MAY 12. — Enemy captures 500 yards of our front trenches north-
east of Vermelles. Portion of lost ground regained.
French airship " T " lost off Sardinia.
At Verdun the French extend their positions south-east
of Haucourt.
MAY 13. — Germans, after very heavy bombardment, attack our
lines about Ploegsteert Wood, but are repulsed.
Small monitor M3O lost in Mediterranean ; two men
killed and two wounded.
MAY 14. — German East Africa. — Reported that three days'
attacks by enemy in direction of Kondoa Irangi have been
defeated, and that Belgians have entered Kigali.
Austrians begin attack on Italian front, south-cast and
south of Trent, and advance slightly.
MAY 15.— Roger Casement charged at Bow Street with high
treason.
Statement by Sir E. Grey to American interviewer on
allied policy published.
Russians take Revanduzo (Mesopotamia)
British Success on the Vimy Ridge. — Lancashire Fusiliers
seize and occupy the enemy's forward line in Artois, on a
front of 250 yards.
MAY ib. — Austrians launch attack against Italians on a narrow
front between Zugna Torta and the Val Sugana.
Sir Douglas Haig reports 27 combats in the air ; an Alba-
tross was attacked, driven down, and wrecked near Lille ;
another driven down north of Vitry.
Lord Curzon president of new Air Board.
North Sea Naval Fight. — An encounter takes place off the
Belgian coast between British destroyers and monitors and
some German destroyers. After a short engagement the
enemy withdraws. Our force had no casualties.
MAY 17. — Anzac column in Sinai Peninsula successfully attacks
enemy troops at Bayoud and Mageibra.
Raiding parties of Seaforths enter German trenches north
of Roclincourt (north-east of Arras). Three dug-outs full
of Germans are bombed, one being blown up.
Mr Balfour's statement on " freedom of the seas " pub-
lished.
MAY 1 8. — Big enemy attack on French positions in the Avocourt
Wood and Hill 304 repulsed. French seize strong enemy
lort on the north-eastern slope of Hill 304.
Mine crater on Vimy Ridge captured by the enemy.
Royal Commission on Irish rising opens.
Successful bombardment of El Arish, important post on the
Turkish line of communications from Syria to Egypt, by
British ships, aeroplanes, and seaplanes.
MAY 19. — Fierce German attack on French lines between the
Wood of Avocourt and Hill 304. The enemy captures a
small work south of Hill 287.
Italian Retreat on Trentino Front.
General Gorringe takes the Dujailar Redoubt on the Tigris.
The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment recapture crater
on Vimy Ridge.
Hostile seaplanes raid the Kent coast. One brought down
later by a naval patrol off the coast of Belgium.
MAY 20. — Lieut. -General Sir Bryan Mahon assumes command in
Western Egypt, and is succeeded by Lieut. -General Milne
at Salonika.
Russian cavalry join General Gorringe's troops on the
Tigris.
MAY 21. — French capture two German trenches between Avocourt
1916
Wood and the Meuse, and on the right bank of the river
the Haudromont quarries.
The Summer Time Act comes into force.
Germans gain 1,500 yards of British front-line trenches
on the Vimy Ridge.
MAY 22. — South bank of Tigris as far as the Shat-el-Hai reported
clear of the enemy.
French troops re-enter part of Douaumont Fort.
MAY 23. — Forces of disaffected Sultan of Darfur defeated by
British column, and his capital, El Fasher, entered.
Italians withdraw between the Astico and the Brenta
(north-east of Rovereto), and in the Sugana Valley.
MAY 24. — Verdun Battle. The Germans, alter heavy sacrifices,
enter the village of Cumieres, and reoccupy Fort Douaumont.
MAY 25. — Military Service Act receives Royal assent.
British aeroplanes bomb Turkish posts at Rodh Salem, El
Hamma, Bir Bayoud, Bir Salmana.
MAY 26. — General Smuts' Advance. — War Office announces that
General Smuts' advanced troops have occupied Rufu Lager
on the Usambara Railway, Lembeni (on the same railway),
and Ngulu, eight miles south-east of Lembeni.
MAY 27. — In fierce counter-attack at Cumieres the French win
back eastern part, and make progress at Hill 304.
Death of General Gallieni.
MAY 28. — Bulgarian Invasion of Greece. — Reported that Bul-
garian troops operating in the Struma Valley advance and
occupy the southern outlet of the Rupel Pass, the adjacent
heights, and the Demir Hissar Bridge.
MAY 29. — Germans suffer a sanguinary reverse in a violent attack
on Hill 304.
Tyrol Battle. — Continued Austrian attacks against the
Italian positions between the Adige and the Arsa Valley
(south of Rovereto) repulsed.
A White Paper issued containing telegrams regarding the
Bagdad Expedition which passed between the Viceroy of
India, the India Office, Generals Nixon and Townshend.
MAY 30. — Sir Douglas Haig's first despatch published.
One Hundredth Day of Battle of Verdun. — French report
violent attack between Dead Man Hill and Cumieres.
Farther east, in region of the Caurettes Wood, the French
withdraw a few hundred yards to south of Bethincourt-
Cumieres Road.
War Office reports that Brigadier-General Northey has
occupied New Langenburg, in south-west of German East
Africa.
MAY 31. — With unprecedented artillery fire the Germans make
repeated attacks east of Dead Man Hill and around Cumieres
village. The French repulse enemy, but have to evacuate
their first-line trench south-west of Cumieres.
Great Naval Fight OfT Jutland. — Admiral Beatty engages
German battle-cruiser squadron and battle fleet off Danish
coast, inflicting and sustaining heavy losses. On the advent
of the British battle fleet, under Admiral Jellicoe, the enemy
disperses and retreats. Admiralty counts 18 German ships
sunk against our 14, among latter being the battle-cruisers
Queen Mary, Indefatigable, Invincible, and the cruisers
Defence, Black Prince, and Warrior.
JUNE i. — French repulse German attack on eastern slopes of
Dead Man Hill, but later the enemy penetrates a iront-line
trench.
In Southern Tyrol the Austrians are held on the left and
centre, but gain ground in the Asiago region.
Heavy gun duel in the neighbourhood of Vimy Ridge.
The new Air Board issues details of many British air
fights in France and Flanders during the month of May.
JUNE 2. — Increasing Fury of Verdun Battle. — Germans pierce
the French lines in southern part of the Caillette Wood, in
the region south of the Vaux Pond, and at Damloup. On
the slopes of Vaux Fort there is a struggle of " unprecedented
violence."
Germans penetrate British front trenches at several
points in the salient between Hooge and the Ypres-Roulers
railway.
JUNE 3. — Reported that General Smuts' troops carried German
entrenched positions between the Pangani River and the
Pare foothills on May 30.
Canadians' counter-attack drives the Germans from much
of ground in the direction of Zillcbeke which they captured
on June 2.
Allied troops at Salonika occupy the Government Bureaux,
and proclaim marti-il law throughout the territory occupied
by them.
JUNE 4. — Sir Douglas Haig reports that the situation about
Ypres has not altered materially, our troops retaining the
ground regained in their counter-attacks of June 3.
2150
DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR
1916
Russian Offensive Renewed. — Our ally conducts a violent
offensive from the Pripet to the Rumanian frontier, and
achieves important successes. Austrian prisoners to date
number about 13,000 ; also guns and machine-guns captured.
JUNE 5. — British infantry enter German trenches in five different
places between Cuinchy and Fauquissart.
Petrograd reports continued success from the Pripet to
the Rumanian frontier.
Lord Kitchener Drowned.— H.M.S. Hampshire, with Lord
Kitchener and his Staff on board, sunk at 8 p.m., to the
west of the Orkneys, by a mine. The late Secretary ot
State for War was on his way to Russia.
JUNE 6. — Heavy Ypres Fighting." — Germans bombard British
positions about Hooge and in neighbourhood of Ypres-
Comines railway and canal. North of Hooge the enemy
explodes a series of mines, and penetrates our front trenches.
Our general line is still intact.
Russians take Lutsk.
JUNE 7. — Fort Vaux cut off. The French claim that at 3.50 a.m.
the fort was still in their hands, but no communication with
it has been possible. Great artillery activity about Hill 304
(north-west ot Verdun) is announced.
War Office reports that the British columns which crossed
the Nyasaland-German East Africa frontier pursued the
enemy to New Utengule, capturing prisoners and supplies.
Announced from British iront that enemy captured our
front-line trenches running through the ruins of Hoogs.
Australian troops raid German trenches cast of Bois Grenier,
inflicting loss and bringing back prisoners.
Great Russian Gains.— Officially reported that in recent
actions in Volhynia, Galicia, and the Bukovina the armic s of
General Brussiloff took over 40,000 prisoners and 77 guns.
Mr. Asquith takes over duties of Secretary for War,
pending appointment of Lord Kitchener's successor.
JUNE 8. — Russia reports vigorous pursuit of Austrians following
on capture of Lutsk, and additional 11,000 prisoners.
Loss of Vaux Fort officially admitted by the French.
German Admiralty admits loss of battle-cruiser Liitzow
in Jutland Battle.
Admiral Jellicoe reports twelve survivors of H.M.S.
Hampshire washed ashore on a raft.
A Blockade of Greece by the Allies announced.
JUNE 9. — Continued Russian offensive. General Brussiloff's
troops reported across the Strypa. Nearly 14,000 fresh
prisoners, making a grand total from June 5 of 65,857.
Verdun Battle. Germans penetrate French lines between
Thiaumont Farm and the Caillette Wood.
Admiralty publishes news of a patrol action off Zeebrugge,
our force chasing the enemy back to port.
Allied War Council in London, Generals Joffre, Roqucs,
and M. Briand, French Premier, being present.
JUNE 10. — Violent artillery action by both sides in Verdun sector.
East African Successes. — General Smuts reports his troops
have occupied Mombo and Mkalamo. Operating from the
Rhodesia-Nyasaland border, Colonel Murray's column
occupied Bismarckburg.
JUNE it. — Continued Russian advance. General Brussiloff's
armies reported to have taken Dubno, and on the Bukovina
border thrusting towards Czcrnovitz.
German Offensive at Ypres. — The enemy launches a heavy
bombardment at the southern part of the Ypres salient.
An infantry attack agninst Sanctuary Wood repulsed.
JUNE 12. — Russians reported pressing on the heels of the
Austrians twenty-four miles south of Lutsk, having driven
the enemy back on the Styr and regained Kolki. In the
extreme south they are nearing the suburbs of Czernovitz.
To date the prisoners total 114,700.
Successive German attacks against the Thiaumont Work
repulsed.
Heavy mutual bombardment on the front between
Hill Oo and Hooge.
Italians continue their offensive, and are slowly pushing
the enemy back at several points on the Tyrol frontier.
British column under General Sir Percy Sykes enters
Herman, South Persia.
JUNE 13. — Canadians' dash at Ypres. The Canadians by a
splendid attack regain all the lost ground south-east of
Zilltbeke. The Australians make a successful rakl on
enemy trenches south of Armentieres.
Germans capture French advanced trenches east of
Hill 321.
The Italians report some advance in the Lagarino Valley
on the Tyrol Irontier.
Memorial Service for Lord Kitchener at St. Paul's
Cathedra).
1916
Continued Russian advance on Kovel. In the centre
our ally crosses the Strypa. In the Bukovina General
Lcchitsky is officially reported td have captured a whole
army corps since the beginning of operations.
J UNE 14. — Russian advance continues along the whole front, from
the scmthrrn part of the Pripet Marshes to the Rumanian
frontier. Total prisoners to date, 1,720 officers, 120,000 men.
General Smuts' northern column reaches Makuyuni. He
reports the occupation of Wilhelmstal.
Baltic Fight. — Russian destroyers and submarines attack
a dozen German steamers, escorted by destroyers, armed
trawlers, and an auxiliary cruiser, south-west of Stockholm.
Three enemy warships sunk.
JUNE 15. — French carry a trench on southern slopes of Dead
Man Hill.
Italy reports capture of the enemy's lines east of Mon-
falcone and south of Sant' Antonio, with 488 prisoners and
war material. Her air squadron drops 160 bombs and
60,000 arrows on enemy encampment north of Asiago.
JUNE 1 6. — Total of prisoners taken by the Russians since
June 5 reported at 167,000.
War Office announces our trenches on north bank of
Tigris, east of Kut, have been pushed forward to within
200 yards ot the Turkish Sanna-i-Yat position. On the
south bank an advanced position at Imam Mansura occupied.
H.M. torpedo-destroyer Eden collides and sinks in the
Channel ; 31 saved.
JUNE 17. — Austro-German counter-attack on the Styr repulsed
by Russians.
French carry enemy trenches to north of Hill 321, and
clear first and second line of trenches on Hill 425, east of
Thann, in the Vosgcs.
Fall of Czernovitz.
JUNE 1 8. — French repulse German attacks against Dead Man
Hill and Thiaumont.
General Moltke, ex-Chief of German General Staff, dies
suddenly of heart failure.
JUNE 19. — Russians reported 50 miles from Lemberg. They
have taken 3,000 prisoners near Czernovitz, bringing total
to date since their offensive opened to 175,900.
Italian Advance. — Officially reported that the Alpini
carried a summit of Mount Lidro, taking 200 prisoners.
Successful raid carried out by Royal Flying Corps against
a large enemy aerodrome five miles south of El Arish.
Two of the ten hangars destroyed, and four hit many times
with bombs.
JUNE 20. — In the Bukovina the Russians cross the River Sereth,
fifteen miles south-west of Czernovitz.
Three German attacks against French positions north-
west of Hill 321 repulsed.
JUNE 21. — Full text of Allies' decisions at the Economic Con-
ference in Paris published.
Furious fighting continues in Western Volhynia. In the
north attacks by Hindenburg repulsed.
Advance in East Africa. — General Smuts reports occupa-
tion of Handeni, and enemy continuing his retreat towards
the central railway. In the southern theatre our troops
have occupied Old Langenburg.
JUNE 22. — French air raid on Treves, Karlsruhe, and Mulheim.
Royal Welsh Fusiliers clear Germans from captured
trenches.
Russia reports capture of Radautz.
Greek Government accedes to the demands of the Allies.
JUNE 23. — In the Bukovina the Austrians are retiring towards
the Carpathians. Russians capture Kimpolung.
Italians advance in the Vallaza, occupying new positions.
Germans reach the village of Fleury, south of Hill 320,
but French counter-attack recovers part of the ground.
JUNE 24. — Allies' blockade of Greece raised.
JUNE 25. — British artillery active on the whole front.
The Italians in the Pasubis sector extend their lines of
occupation as far as the Piazza. Valley. On the Posina-Astico
line artillery duels take place.
JUNE 26. — British troops penetrate German trenches at ten
different parts.
Slight French gain between the Fumin Wood and the
Chenois Wood.
Further Italian Advance. — Infantry advance from the
Val Arsa to the Sette Comuni plateau. On the Posina-
Astico line enemy driven back. Pria Fora occupied and
infantry pushed on towards outskirts of Arsiero.
JUNE 27. — Fourth day of artillery activity on the British Iront.
Italians, rapidly advancing, reoccupy Arsiero and Asiago.
JUNE 28. — General Lcchitsky defeats the Austrians on a front
of 25 miles cast of Kolomea.
21GO
DIARY OF THE GREAT WAR
1916
J UNE 29. — British activity all along the line ; numerous raids
on German positions.
Roger Casement sentenced to death.
JUNE 30. — Continued British activity all along the front.
Pttrograd reports capture of Kolomca.
JULY i. — Great Allied Offensive Launched. — A Franco-British
attack north and south of the Somme, on a front of twenty-
five miles, begins at 7.30 a.m. Our troops carry the German
forward system of defences on a front of sixteen miles,
storming and occupying the strongly-fortified villages of
Montauban and Mametz. Over 2,000 prisoners taken.
JULY 2. — Second day ot allied offensive. Sir Douglas Haig
reports heavy fighting in the area between the Ancre and
the Somme. Our troops carry Fricourt. Total prisoners
to date, 3,500. French engaged north of the Somme in the
region of Hardecourt and Curlu. The village of Frise and
Mereaucourt Wood captured. Prisoners exceed 6,000.
JULY 3. — Third day of allied offensive. British take La Boisselle,
but are checked north-east of Albert. The French capture
five villages and advance to within three miles of Peronne.
Prisoners taken by Allies total 12,300.
Russians begin a heavy artillery action on the Riga front,
assisted by naval units.
JULY 4. — French and British Progress. — Sir Douglas Haig
reports that La Boisselle, part of which had been in enemy
hands, is entirely in our possession. South of the Somme
the French make good progress towards Peronne, capturing
Estrees and Belloy-en-Santerre.
Russian success north of the Pripet. In the Baranovitchi
region two lines of enemy works carried and 2,700 prisoners
taken.
JULY 5. — Continued gains by British and French. Latter
advance north of Ihe Somme to Hem, which they capture,
and reach a point on the south bank two miles from Peronne.
British prisoners total over 6,000 and the French 9,500.
JULY 6. — British advance near Thiepval.
Russian Offensive. — In Volhynia our Ally takes over
2,300 prisoners. West of Lower Strypa the enemy is over-
thrown and driven back, and 5,000 prisoners taken. General
Lechitsky. cuts railway communication between Galicia and
Hungary.
JULY 7.— Text of Admiral Jelllcoe's despatch on Jutland Battle
published.
Mr. Lloyd George new War Minister. — Sir Edward Grey
becomes' a viscount.
Second Stage of British Advance. — Our troops advance
between the Ancre and the Somme. A further portion of
the Leipzig Redoubt carried, while east of La Boisselle we
advance our line 500 yards on a front of nearly 2,000 yards.
The Prussian Guard, thrown into the battle to bar our
progress east of Contalmaison, repulsed.
Russians break the German line north of Lutsk salient.
JULY 8. — Text of a Russo-Japanese agreement published.
Fighting takes place on the extreme British right flank.
Our troops gain a lodgment in the Bois des Trones, while
our aeroplanes bomb Douai Aerodrome. The French
report their capture of Hardecourt, with 633 prisoners.
J ULY 9. — East of Flaucourt French troops carry enemy positions
on a depth of from 1,100 yards to a mile and a quarter.
They capture the village of Biaches.
New Russian Blows. — Our ally north of the Lutsk salient
forces the Germans back in disorder six miles to the Stokhod.
Thirty miles farther south they push their new wedge into
the German front east of Kovel. Reported that since
June 4 the Russians have taken 250,000 prisoners.
Hostile aeroplane raid on south-east coast of England ;
five bombs dropped.
JULY 10. — Germans make slight gain in the Trones Wood,
where desperate battle raged. Our progress continued in
the Mametz Wood, east of Ovillers, and near Contalmaison.
French storm a height near Peronne.
Russian army south-east of Kovel reported to have
advanced loj miles.
General Smuts reports occupation of Tanga, on the coast
ot German East Africa, on July 7.
JULY ii. — Despatch from Sir Douglas Haig published, stating
that after ten days and nights of continuous fighting, our
troops have completed the " methodical capture " of the
, enemy's first system of defence on a front of eight miles.
Our prisoners exceed 7,500, and we captured twenty-six
field-guns. An earlier official report announces the retaking
of Contalmaison and most of the Trones Wood.
1916
Big Russian Captures. — Our ally reports that in their
offensive, since July 5. they have captured 271,620 officers
and men, 312 guns, and 866 machine-guns.
U boat fires thirty rounds of shrapnel at Seaham Harbour.
]ULY 12. — Sir Douglas Haig reports recapture of all ground in
Mametz Wood lost during the night, also some progress in
the Trones Wood.
Mass attack of 18,000 Germans in direction of the Souville
Fort (north-east of Verdun) gains for the enemy only a
little ground near the Chapelle Sainte Fine Farm.
JULY 13. — British continue their pressure and advance their line.
Allied Shell Conference at War Office.
JULY 14. — German Second Line Breached. — Sir Douglas Haig
reports that at daybreak our troops carried the enemy's
second line on a front of four miles. As the result of the
day's fighting we hold the position from Bazentin-le-Petit
village to Longueval village and the whole of Trones Wood.
JULY 15. — North of Bazentin-lc-Grand our troops penetrate the
German third line at the Bois des Fourcaux. In this
neighbourhood a detachment of the enemy successfully
accounted for by a squadron of Dragoon Guards. In the
past twenty-four hours we captured over 2,000 prisoners
and five heavy howitzers.
JULY 16. — The detachment of our troops that penetrated to
Foureaux withdraw into our main line without molestation
from the enemy.
Russian successes. In Volhynia our ally captures two
batteries and 3,000 prisoners. They report having stormed
Baiburt, halfway between Erzerum and Trebizond.
JULY 17. — Our troops, as the result of fresh successes, now hold
4 miles 600 yards of the German second line north of the
Somme. North of Longueval they are close to the third
line. Since July I the total of unwounded German prisoners
is 189 officers and 10,779 other ranks.
Big Russian success. Our ally gains an important
success in Volhynia, on the southern face of the Lutsk
salient, pushing back Von Linsingen's army ten miles to the
south and capturing 12,954 prisoners and 30 guns.
JULY 1 8. — Germans attack our positions near Longueval and
Delville Wood.
JULY 19. — Enemy recaptures a portion of Delville Wood and
obtains a footing in Longueval, but British regain most of
the lost ground.
JULY 20. — Continued Allied Success in the West. — British
advance 1,000 yards north of the Bazentin-Longueval line.
Heavy fighting continues in the northern outskirts of
Longueval village and in Delville Wood.
General Sakharoff's troops inflict heavy defeat on the
Austrians on the south-western face of the Lutsk salient.
JULY 21. — Reported that Russian Army of the Caucasus has
captured the town of Gumushkhane, 100 miles from Erzerum.
JULY 22. — Despatches from Lord French and General Maxwell
on the rising in Ireland published.
Announced that Russians in Southern Volhynia have
captured in eight days 27,000 prisoners and 40 guns. In
Armenia they are within thirty miles of Erzindjan.
JULY 23. — Battle of the Somme. — Territorial and Australian
troops carry the German outer works of Pozieres by assault.
Resignation of M. Sazonoff, Russian Foreign Minister.
JULY 24. — Fight for Pozie'res. — All-day stubborn battle for this
village, a large portion of which is in our hands. We also
gain ground near High Wood.
J ULY 25. — 'Russians take Austro-German positions in North-
Eastern Galicia, about twelve miles from Brody.
Fall of Erzindjan.
JULY 26. — The whole of Pozieres captured.
JULY 27. — Announced that, north of the line Pozieres-Bazentin-
le-Petit, British capture 200 yards of an important trench.
Enemy driven from east and north-east of Delville Wood.
Russians capture Brody.
Captain Fryatt, of the captured steamer Brussels, shot by
Germans in Bruges.
JULY 28. — German efforts to recapture Delville Wood repulsed.
JULY 29. — Serbians gain a success over the Bulgarians east of
Monastir.
Three Zeppelins raid the East Coast, dropping thirty-two
bombs in Lincolnshire and Norfolk.
JULY 30. — New Allied Advance from the east of the Delville
Wood to the Somme.
JULY 31. — General Smuts reports occupation of Dodoma.
Zeppelin raid on seven Eastern and South-Eastern
counties.
Enb of IDolume xn.
Hammerton, (Sir) John
Alexander (ed.)
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